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PHRENOLOGY, 



IN CONNEXION WITH THE 



STUDY OF PHYSIOGNOMY 



Br J. G.~SPURZHEIM, M. D. 

OF THE UNIVERSITIES OF VIENNA AND PARIS, AND LICENTIATE OF THE 
ROYAL COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS OF LONDON. 



ILLUSTRATION OF CHARACTERS 

WITH THIRTY-FIVE PLATES. 

FIRST AMERICAN EDITION, IMPROVED. 
TO WHICH IS PREFIXED 

A BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR, 

BY 
NAHUM CAPEN. 



BOSTON: 
MARSH, CAPEN & LYON. 

1833. 









Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1833, by 

Marsh, Capen and Lyon, 
in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Massachusetts. 



Kane k Co. Printers, 

127 Washington Street. 



Note. After the Biography had been placed in the hands of the binder, we 
received a letter from Dr. Brigham, Hartford, stating that the Johnson alluded 
to in page 106, was not concerned in the late conspiracy and murder at the 
State Prison; but another, a more recent convict of the same name. The one 
alluded to by Dr. Spurzheim ' gives good promise of having reformed.' We 
correct the error with pleasure. 

Dr. Brigham visited the prison in company with Dr. Spurzheim, and he fur- 
nishes a fact more interesting and important than the statement which has 
reference to Johnson. 

' It is a little remarkable,' says Dr. Brigham, ' that when I visited the prison 
with Dr. Spurzheim, he pointed out the two leaders of this conspiracy and mur- 
der as very bad criminals. The negro, Caesar Reynolds, who, from the testi- 
mony, it appears actually committed the murder, he noticed when at some dis- 
tance, and remarked, " that negro interests me much ," and begged the liberty 
of examining his head minutely, and after he had done so, he said that he 
had the best formation intellectually of any negro he ever saw ; (and he is far 
superior to most blacks,) but stated that he was a wretched and dangerous man, 
capable of doing any wickedness, and one that would persevere in iniquity. 

' The Warden has repeatedly assured me that Dr. S. gave the characters of 
many of the criminals, especially the noted ones, as correctly as he himself 
could, who had long known them.' N. C. 



INDEX TO BIOGRAPHY. 



Page. 

Dedication, 7 

Preliminary remarks, 9 

Birth and parentage of Spurzheim, . . . 12 

Notice of Dr. Gall, ib. 

Gall and Spurzheim leave Vienna, 22 

Places where they visited, 23 

Visit to the Prison of Berlin, 25 

do. to the fortress of Spandau, 27 

Spurzheim does not admit organs of ' murder and theft,' 29 

Reception of Gall and Spurzheim's doctrines, 30 

They present a memoir to the French Institute, 32 

Cuvier and Buonaparte, ib. 

Gall and Spurzheim publish their large work, 36 

Character of Dr. Gall, 37 

Spurzheim leaver Paris for Vienna and London, 42 

His reception in London , 43 

Opinions of Mr. Abernethy, 44 

Spurzheim visits Bath, Bristol, Cork and Dublin, 47 

Abusive attack of the Edinburgh Review, ib. 

Spurzheim visits Edinburgh, his reception and success, . . 50 

do. visit to Mr. Mylne's workshop, ib. 

Answer to Gordon, 53 

He returns to Paris, 55 

Instance of his judgment upon a brain, 56 

State of Phrenology in Paris 1821, 59 

Marriage of Spurzheim, 62 

Lectures prohibited in Paris, 1824, 6 > 

He revisits London, his reception, &,c. ib. 

Tone of Public Journals, 64 

Works published in London, 1825, 68 

Visit to Cambridge, his reception, ' . . . . 6S 



]V INDEX. 

do. to Hull, 70 

do. to the ' Refuge for the Insane,' 73 

do. to Edinburgh 1825, 77 

Change in the Edinburgh^Review, ib. 

Correspondence between Spurzheim and Sir Wm. Hamilton, 81 
Account of Dinner given to Spurzheim by the Edinburgh 

Phrenological Society, 84 

Visit to the City Lunatic Asylum, 90 

do. to the Children's Hospital, 92 

do. to Glasgow, 93 

do. Liverpool and other places, 94 

do. to Liverpool House of Correction, ib. 

Death of Mrs. Spurzheim, 96 

Visit to Dublin, 97 

do. do. 1831, .....' 100 

Returns to Paris, ib. 

Phrenology in Paris, ib. 

Leaves Havre for the United States, 103 

Arrives in New York, 104 

Visits New-Haven and Hartford, 105 

Visit to Weathersfield State Prison, 106 

Arrival in Boston, ib. 

Lecture before the American Institute, 107 

Lectures on Phrenology in Boston and Cambridge, ib. 

Visit to Mr. Fowle's School, 109 

do. to Mr. Field's School, 117 

His sickness and death, . . 118 

Dr. Jackson's statement, 123 

Proceedings in relation to his death, 133 

Resolutions of the Boston Medical Association, 136 

Funeral Ceremonies, 138 

Ode by the Rev. J. Pierpont, ib 

View of Spurzheim as a man, 140 

do. do. as a Philosopher, 142 

do. do. as a Christian, 144 

Resolutions of Edinburgh Phrenological Society, 166 



CONTENTS. 

ILLUSTRATION OP CHARACTERS. 



Introduction, 

Definition of Physiognomy, . 
The study of Physiognomy very ancient, 
Difference between Physiognomy and Pathognomy, 
Theory and Practice of a Science. 



Head, 



Page, 
1 
ib. 
3 
5 
8 



SECTION I. 

Chap I. — Physiognomical Signs of the Body 

Size and Configuration of the Body, 

Organic Constitution or Temperament of the 
Body, 

Physiognomy of the Body of the Sexes 
Chap. II. — Physiognomical Signs of the Face, 

Faces of the Sexes, 

National Faces, 
Chap. III. — Physiognomical Signs of the 

Mode of Considering the Physiognomical Signs 
of the head, 

Of differences among Heads, 

Heads of the Sexes, 

Heads of various Nations, 

SECTION II. 

Chap. I. — Of the Cerebral Organization of different Char- 
acters, 47 

Characters in relation to Morality, . . 49 
Caracalla and Zeno, .... 52, 56 
Nero and Seneca, 59, 61 



13 
14 

15 
17 
19 
23 

ib. 
30 

ib. 
35 
40 
43 



VI CONTENTS. 

Cardinal Richelieu and Walsingham 

Alexander VI. and Fr. Oberlin, 

Godoi, Prince of Peace, and Peter Jeannin 

Chap. I. — Danton and Malesherbes, 
Gregory VII. and Pius VII. 

Chap. II — Religious Characters, 

Deacon Paris and Aug. Baker, 
Cajetanus and John Crasset, . 
Joseph Priestley and Richard Price, 
Martin V. and Lejeune, 

Chap. III. — Independent Characters, 

Prince of Orange and Ramus, 
Stubbs and Gustavus Schlabrendorf 

Chap. IV. — Ambitious Characters, 

Philip II. and Catherine II. 

Lalande and Vanieres, 

Six figures indicating Vanity, 

Chap. V. — Gay Characters, 
Piron and Carlin, 

Chap. VI. — Timid and Bold Characters, 

The Skull of a Timid Woman and that 

Courageous Man, 
Cicero and the Gladiator, 
Martin Luther and Melancthon, 
Charles XII. and Sully, 
General Reflections, 
Elements of various Characters, 
Summary View and Conclusion, 



Page. 

64, 68 
71 



75 



83 



73 

78 

81 

92 

. 94 

95, 98 

99, 100 

101, 104 

107, 111 

. 114 

115, 119 

124, 125 

. 129 

130, 134 

136, 138 

. 139 

. 145 

144, 145 

. 147 

of a 

. ib. 

148, 153 

154, 160 

164, 172 

. 180 

. 183 

. 191 



ERRATUM. 

On page 117, in extract from Mr. Field's note, for originality of thought, 
read unity of thought. 



TO THE MEMBERS OF THE 



BOSTON PHRENOLOGICAL SOCIETY, 



IN THE HOPE THAT THEY WILL 



IMITATE THE PERSEVERANCE AND PRACTISE THE VIRTUES OF 



S|)ttt>?J)HtH t 



THIS HUMBLE ATTEMPT 



TO PERPETUATE HIS NAME AND WORTH, 



IS MOST RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED. 



N. C. 
Boston, May, 1833. 



BIOGRAPHY 



Next in importance to the presence of great 
and good men is the history of their lives. So- 
ciety cannot prize too highly the value of those 
who devote superior talents to the study and 
melioration of man, and who exemplify the vari- 
ous duties of life by a constant practice of them. 
Since the shortness of life prevents the continu- 
ance of such blessings but for a limited time, it 
becomes no less an act of duty than of gratitude 
to record them with every practical detail for the 
good of those who are to come after us, and for 
the great cause of human perfection. 

The study of human nature is but the study of 
ourselves and of one another. It has in view the 
objects of our existence, the perfection of our 
being. It increases practical knowledge, exalts 
the mind, encourages virtue, and inspires a spirit 
of mutual forbearance. 

Theoretical speculations upon the causes of hu- 
man perfection, however beautiful and promising 
in aspect, have but little influence in the real for- 
mation of human character. The standard of 



10 

theorists, in morals, is usually of too high gradua- 
tion — requiring more than the history of man will 
warrant us in anticipating. If we would persuade 
mankind to improve, even to perfection, it must 
be done by degrees, setting forth examples of 
practice with every important principle of action. 
Abstract moral propositions generally contemplate 
what is desirable, rather than what is practicable. 

It is thought by some that we cannot adopt too 
high a standard of perfection. This opinion indi- 
cates an elevated mind, and so far as the interests 
of society may be thereby promoted, is deserving 
of consideration ; but, from careful observation, 
we are persuaded, that by requiring too much we 
deter from mental activity rather than induce it. 
We may require our neighbor to be perfect and up- 
right in his dealings, to exercise charity on all occa- 
sions, to love his fellow-men as he loves himself, to 
return good for evil, and to make personal sacrifices 
for the general good, — all this is admirable in theo- 
ry, and what every good man hopes ultimately to 
see pervade the world — but what would be the 
effect of the requisition ? We might admire and 
approve, but should we adopt these duties as in- 
cumbent upon ourselves ? Let every man's expe- 
rience answer the question. It must be evi- 
dent to the reflecting mind, that the practice of 
these important christian duties depends mostly 
upon example and the natural dispositions. 

The many conflicting influences to which the 



11 

mind is constantly exposed, from its earliest infan- 
cy, may account for results which often entirely 
disappoint the reasonable expectations of parents 
and guardians. Our minds are much more readily 
excited and swayed by what we see, than by what 
we hear, and as external circumstances are not 
always within our control, moral instruction labors 
under an obvious disadvantage. 

To see the great and good, to be in their pres- 
ence, to feel the influence of their example, and 
to participate in the fruits of their labors, are privi- 
leges as great as they are rare. To appreciate 
them requires the utmost gratitude of man. To 
give a just and complete portraiture of their pleas- 
urable effects is beyond the power of expression. 

In preparing the Biography of Dr. Spurzheim, 
we are conscious of our inability to illustrate 
his character as it has been seen and felt. We 
have but the use of language, which is cold 
and inadequate, while it must be considered 
that we were warmed and animated by the illus- 
trious subject of our memoir, by his conversation, 
acts and eloquence. All that we can attempt is 
an humble effort to afford the public an imper- 
fect sketch of his life and character. 

A great and good man cannot leave a richer leg- 
acy to the world than his character. Its import- 
ance cannot be calculated ; its influence is infinite, 
extending from nation to nation, and modifying 
the character of every succeeding generation. 



12 

John* Gaspar Spurzheim was born on the 31st 
of December, 1776, at Longvick, a village about 
seven miles from the city of Treves, on the Mo- 
selle, in the lower circle of the Rhine, now under 
the dominion of Prussia. His parents cultivated 
a farm of the rich Abbey of St. Maximin de Treves, 
and he received his college education at the uni- 
versity of that city. He was destined by his 
parents to become a clergyman, but in 1799, when 
the French invaded that part of Germany, he went 
to Vienna to study medicine, where he became ac- 
quainted with Dr. Gall. He entered with great 
zeal into the consideration of the new doctrine ; 
and, to use his own words, ' he was simply a 
hearer of Dr. Gall till 1804, at which period he 
was associated with him in his labors, and his 
character of hearer ceased.' 

The history of Spurzheim being intimately con- 
nected with phrenology, it may not be viewed as 
inappropriate here to give a brief sketch of the 
life of its original founder, Dr. Gall. 

F. J. Gallf was born on the 9th of March, 1757, 
and was the sixth child of the marriage. He was 
descended of a respectable family residing at Tie- 
fenbrun, two leagues distant from Pforzheim, in 
Swabia. His father was a merchant, and mayor 
of the village. His parents, professing the Ro- 

* He sometimes wrote his name Gaspar, instead of John Gaspar ; this 
was done purely for the sake of brevity. 
t Phren. Trans, vol. i. by Mr. Combe. 



13 

man Catholic religion, had intended him for the 
church ; but his natural dispositions were opposed 
to it. His studies were pursued first at Baden, 
afterwards at Brucksal, and then were continued 
at Strasbourg. Having selected the healing art 
for his profession, he went, in 1781, to Vienna, 
the medical school of which had obtained great 
reputation, particularly since the times of Van 
Swieten and Stoll. 

Dr. Gall gives an account, of which the follow- 
ing is an abstract, of the manner in which he was 
led to the study of the natural talents and disposi- 
tions of men, his views of which terminated in the 
formation of the Phrenological System. 

From an early age he was given to observation, 
and was struck with the fact, that each of his 
brothers and sisters, companions in play, and 
schoolfellows, possessed some peculiarity of tal- 
ent or disposition, which distinguished him from 
others. Some of his schoolmates were distin- 
guished by the beauty of their penmanship, some 
by their success in arithmetic, and others by their 
talent for acquiring a knowledge of natural his- 
tory, or of languages. The compositions of one 
were remarkable for elegance, while the style of 
another was stiff and dry ; and a third connected 
his reasonings in the closest manner, and clothed 
his argument in the most forcible language. Their 
dispositions were equally different, and this diver- 
sity appeared also to determine the direction of 



14 

their partialities and aversions. Not a few of them 
manifested a capacity for employments which they 
were not taught ; they cut figures in wood, or 
delineated them on paper ; some devoted their 
leisure to painting, or the culture of a garden, 
while their comrades abandoned themselves to 
noisy games, or traversed the woods to gather 
flowers, seek for birds-nests, or catch butterflies. 
In this manner, each individual presented a char- 
acter peculiar to himself, and Gall never ob- 
served, that the individual, who in one year had 
displayed selfish or knavish dispositions, became 
in the next a good and faithful friend. 

The scholars with whom young Gall had the 
greatest difficulty in competing, were those who 
learned by heart with great facility; and such indi- 
viduals frequently gained from him by their repe- 
titions, the places which he had obtained by the 
merit of his original compositions. 
/ Some years afterwards, having changed his 
place of residence, he still met individuals en- 
dowed with an equally great talent of learning to 
repeat. He then observed that his schoolfellows, 
so gifted, possessed prominent eyes ; and he re- 
collected, that his rivals in the first school had 
been distinguished by the same peculiarity. 

When he entered the university, he directed 
his attention, from the first, to the students whose 
eyes were of this description, and he soon found 
that they all excelled in getting rapidly by heart, 



15 

and giving correct recitations, although many of 
them were by no means distinguished in point of 
general talent. This observation was recognised 
also by the other students in the classes, and 
although the connexion betwixt the talent and the 
external sign was not at this time established 
upon such complete evidence as is requisite for 
a philosophical conclusion, yet Dr. Gall could 
not believe that the coincidence of the two cir- 
cumstances thus observed, was entirely accidental. 
He suspected, therefore, from this period, that 
they stood in an important relation to each other. 
After much reflection, he conceived, that if mem- 
ory for words was indicated by an external sign, 
the same might be the case with the other intel- 
lectual powers ; and from that moment all indi- 
viduals, distinguished by any remarkable faculty, 
became the objects of his attention. By degrees, 
he conceived himself to have found external char- 
acteristics, which indicated a decided disposition 
for painting, music, and the mechanical arts. He 
became acquainted also with some individuals 
remarkable for the determination of their charac- 
ter, and he observed, a particular part of their 
heads to be very largely developed. This fact 
first suggested to him the idea of looking to the 
head for signs of the moral sentiments. But in 
making these observations, he never conceived 
for a moment, that the skull was the cause of the 
different talents, as has been erroneously rcpre- 



16 

sented ; he referred the influence, whatever it was 
to the brain. 

In following out by observations, the principle 
which accident had thus suggested, he for some 
time encountered difficulties of the greatest mag- 
nitude. Hitherto he had been altogether igno- 
rant of the opinions of physiologists touching the 
brain, and of metaphysicians respecting the men- 
tal faculties, and had simply observed nature. 
When, however, he began to enlarge his knowl- 
edge of books, he found the most extraordinary 
conflict of opinions everywhere prevailing, and 
this, for the moment, made him hesitate about the 
correctness of his own observations. He found 
that the moral sentiments had, by an almost gen- 
eral consent, been consigned to the thoracic and 
abdominal viscera; and that while /Pythagoras, 
Plato, Galen, Haller, and some other physiolo- 
gists, placed the sentient soul or intellectual facul- 
ties in the brain, Aristotle placed it in the heart, 
Van Helmont in the stomach, Des Cartes and 
his followers in the pineal gland, and Drelincourt 
and others in the cerebellum. 

He observed, also, that a great number of phi- 
losophers and physiologists asserted, that all men 
are born with equal mental faculties; and that 
the differences observable among them are owing 
either to education, or to the accidental circum- 
stances in which they are placed. If all differ- 
ences are accidental, he inferred that there could 



17 

be no natural signs of predominating faculties, 
and consequently, that the project of learning by 
observation, to distinguish the functions of the dif- 
ferent portions of the brain, must be hopeless. 
This difficulty he combated by the reflection, that 
his brothers, sisters, and schoolfellows had all re- 
ceived very nearly the same education, but that he 
had still observed each of them unfolding a distinct 
character, over which circumstances appeared to 
exert only a limited control. He observed, also, 
that not unfrequently they, whose education had 
been conducted with the greatest care, and on 
whom the labors of teachers had been most freely 
lavished, remained far behind their companions in 
attainments. A Often, 5 says Dr. Gall, ' we were 
accused of want of will, or deficiency in zeal ; but 
many of us could not, even with the most ardent 
desire, followed out by the most obstinate efforts, 
attain in some pursuits even to mediocrity ; while 
in some other points, some of us surpassed our 
schoolfellows without an effort, and almost, it 
might be said, without perceiving it ourselves. 
But, in point of fact, our masters did not appear 
to attach much faith to the system which taught 
the equality of mental faculties ; for they thought 
themselves entitled to exact more from one scholar, 
and less from another. They spoke frequently of 
natural gifts, or of the gifts of God, and consoled 
their pupils in the words of the gospel, by assuring 
them that each would be required to render an 



18 

account only in proportion to the gifts which he 
had received. 5 * 

Being convinced by these facts, that there is a 
natural and constitutional diversity of talents and 
dispositions, he encountered in books still another 
obstacle to his success in determining the external 
signs of the mental powers. He found that, in- 
stead of faculties for languages, drawing, distin- 
guishing places, music, and mechanical arts, cor- 
responding to the different talents which he had 
observed in his school-fellows, the metaphysician 
spoke only of general powers, such as perception, 
conception, memory, imagination, and judgment ; 
and when he endeavored to discover external signs 
in the head, corresponding to these general facul- 
ties, or to determine the correctness of the physi- 
ological doctrines regarding the seat of the mind, 
as taught by the authors already mentioned, he 
found perplexities without end, and difficulties in- 
surmountable. 

Dr. Gall, therefore, abandoning every theory 
and preconceived opinion, gave himself up entire- 
ly to the observation of nature. Being a physician 
to a lunatic asylum in Vienna, he had opportuni- 
ties, of which he availed himself, of making obser- 
vations on the insane. He visited prisons, and 
resorted to schools ; he was introduced to the 
courts of princes, to colleges, and the seats of jus- 

* Preface by Dr. Gall to the < Ahatomie, &c. du Cerveau,' from which 
other facts in this sketch are taken. 



19 

tice ; and wherever he heard of an individual dis- 
tinguished in any particular way, either by remark- 
able endowments or deficiency, he observed and 
studied the development of his head. In this 
manner, by an almost imperceptible induction, he 
conceived himself warranted in believing that par- 
ticular mental powers are indicated by particular 
configurations of the head. 

Hitherto he had resorted only to physiognomi- 
cal indications, as a means of discovering the func- 
tions of the brain. On reflection, however, he 
was convinced that physiology is imperfect when 
separated from anatomy. Having observed a 
woman of fifty -four years of age, who had been 
afflicted with hydrocephalus from her youth, and 
who, with a body a little shrunk, possessed a mind 
as active and intelligent, as that of other individ- 
uals of her class, Dr. Gall declared his conviction, 
that the structure of the brain must be different 
from what was generally conceived, — a remark 
which Tulpius also had made, on observing a 
hydrocephalic patient, who manifested the mental 
faculties. He, therefore, felt the necessity of 
making anatomical researches into the structure 
of the brain. 

In every instance, when an individual whose 
head he had observed while alive happened to die, 
he used every means to be permitted to examine 
the brain, and frequently did so ; and he found as 
a genera] fact, that on the removal of the skull, 



20 

the brain, covered by the dura mater, presented a 
form corresponding to that which the skull had 
exhibited in life* 

The successive steps by which Dr. Gall pro- 
ceeded in his discoveries, are particularly deserv- 
ing of attention. He did not, as many have ima- 
gined, first dissect the brain, and pretend by that 
means to have discovered the seats of the mental 
powers ; neither did he, as others have conceived, 
first map out the skull into various compartments, 
and assign a faculty to each, according as his im- 
agination led him to conceive the place appropri- 
ate to the power. On the contrary, he first ob- 
served a concomitance betwixt particular talents 
and dispositions and particular forms of the head ; 
he next ascertained, by removal of the skull, that 
/the figure and size of the brain are indicated by 
these external forms j/ and it was only after these 
facts were determined, that the brain was minute- 
ly dissected, and light thrown upon its structure. 

Dr. Gall was first known as an author by the pub- 
lication of two chapters of an extensive work, en- 
titled, ' Philosophisch-medicinische Untersuchvngen 
uber Natur und Kunst im gesunden und kranken 
Zustande des Menschen, Wien, 1791.' The con- 
tinuation of this work has never appeared ; but in 
the first of the two chapters printed, he has evinced 
the spirit with which his researches into the moral 
and intellectual nature of man w T ere subsequently 
conducted. The first written notice of his inqui- 



21 

ries concerning the head appeared in a familiar 
letter to Baron Retzen, which was inserted in the 
German periodical journal, ' Deutschen Mercur,' 
in December, 1798* In this letter he announces 
the publication of a work upon his views concern- 
ing the brain ; but circumstances induced him to 
alter his intention. 

In 1796, Dr. Gall commenced giving courses of 
private lectures at Vienna. Several of his hear- 
ers, as well as others who had never heard him 
lecture, published notices of his doctrines, and 
have represented them with greater or less exact- 
ness. Among the better class the following de- 
serve to be noticed : Froriep, who has printed an 
Exposition of the Doctrine of Dr. Gall. 3d edi- 
tion, 1802. Martens, < Quelque chose sur la 
Physiognomic' Leipzig 1802. Walther. ' Ex- 
position critique de la Doctrine de Gall, avec 
quelques particularites concernant son auteur.' 
Zurich, 1802. 

Having continued his lectures for five years, on 
the 9th of January, 1802, the Austrian government 
issued an order that they should cease ; his doc- 
trines being considered dangerous to religion. ) A 
general regulation was made upon the occasion, 
prohibiting all private lectures, unless a special 
permission was obtained from the public authorities. 
Dr. Gall understood the object of this ' General 
Regulation,' and never solicited permission, but 
rather stopt his courses. The doctrines, however, 



22 

continued to be studied with greater zeal than be- 
fore ; — the prohibition strongly stimulated curios- 
ity, and all publications on the subject continued 
to be permitted, provided they abstained from re- 
flecting on the government for issuing the ' Gen- 
eral Order. 5 

Spurzheim having completed his medical stu- 
dies, he and Dr. Gall quitted Vienna in 1805, to 
travel together, and to pursue in common their 
researches into the anatomy and physiology of the 
whole nervous system. In the period which 
elapsed betwixt the interdiction of Dr. GalPs lec- 
tures in 1802, and the time when he and Dr. 
Spurzheim left Vienna, the doctrine had made a 
rapid progress, not only in general diffusion, but 
in solid and important additions — a fact of which 
any one may be satisfied, by comparing the pub- 
lications by Dr. Gall's auditors already mentioned, 
with those by his hearers in the different towns in 
Germany, visited in the course of his and Dr. 
Spurzheim's travels. The following works, in 
particular, afford evidence of the state of the 
science in 1805 : 

Bischoff. Exposition de la Doctrine de Gall 
sur le Cerveau et le Crane, suivie de Remarques 
de Mr. Hufeland sur cette Doctrine. — Berlin, 2d 
ed. 1805. 

Blcede. Le Doctrine du Gall sur les Fonctions 
de Cerveau. — Dresde, 2d ed. 1805. 

From 1804 to 1813, Dr. Gall and Dr. Spurzheim 



23 

were constantly together, and their researches 
were conducted in common. They left Vienna 
on the 6th of March, 1805, to go direct to Berlin, 
and afterwards visited a variety of places, remain- 
ing at each the time noted in the following table. 



1805 



Berlin, from 18th of March to the end of April. 
Potsdam, during first half of May. 



1806 



1807 



Leipsic, 


from 


23d May 


till 


13th June. 


Dresden, 


a 


14th June 


« 


3d July. 


Halle, 


it 


8th July 


a 


28th July. 


Jena, 


a 


1st August 


a 


7th August. 


Wiemar, 


tt 


7th August 


a 


18th August. 


Goettingen, 


a 


21st August 


tt 


31st August. 


Brauerschweig, 


u 


5th September 


tt 


13th September. 


Copenhagen, 


a 


24th September 


n 


6th November. 


Kiel, 


u 


13th November 


it 


1st December. 


Hamburgh, 


it 


4th December 


tt 


1st February, 1806 


Bremen, 


(i 


3d February, 


it 


18th February. 


Munster, 


it 


21st February 


tt 


19th March. 


Amsterdam, 


it 


25th March 


a 


25th April. 


Ley den, 


it 


25th April 


a 


4th May. 


Dusseldorf, 


tt 


9th May 


tt 


21st May. 


Frankfort, 


a 


27th May 


it 


6th June. 


Wurtzbourg, 


tt 


23d July 


tt 


12th August. 


Marbourg, 


tt 


14th August 


tt 


25th August. 


Stuttgard, 


it 


8th October 


it 


19th October. 


Carlsruhe, 


it 


28th November 


tt 


26th December. 


Lastall, 


a 


26th December 


tt 


1st January, 1807. 


Freybourg en ") 
Brisgaw, $ 


it 


2d January 


tt 


16th January. 


Doneschingue, 


it 


16th January 


a 


23d January. 


Heidelberg, 


a 


28th January 


tt 


13th February. 


Manheim, 


a 


19th February 


n 


6th March. 


Munich, 


tt 


27th March 


tt 


31st May. 


Augsbourg, 


a 


31st May 


tt 


25th June. 


Ulm, 


tt 


28th June 


it 


11th July, 


Zurich, 


it 


15th July 


n 


2d August. 


Berne, 


it 


8th August 


a 


5th September. 


Bale, 


it 


7th September 


tt 


24th September. 


Muhlhause, 


tt 


24th September 


a 


2d October. 


Paris, 


tt 


November. 







24 

This mode of disseminating their opinions has 
been made a subject of reproach to them in 
England. But such an objection has no intrinsic 
merit whatever ; — besides, some nations are accus- 
tomed and content to receive their knowledge in 
this way. 

The necessity of this procedure is very pleasant- 
ly elucidated by Chenevix, in the Foreign Quar- 
terly Review. 'We are all, 5 says he, ' too apt 
to judge of others by ourselves.) The habits of 
the nations which they wished to convert, required 
such a mode of proceeding. Their own native 
land, divided into many petty states, has innume- 
rable little points, but no one large focus of light. 
From the one to the other of these, thought trav- 
els as slowly as the slumbering note twanged 
through the twisted horn, and snaps-swallowing 
throat, of a Westphalian post-boy. In Holland 
it advances about as rapidly as an Amsterdam 
Cupid, flying on the wings of love, in a Dutch 
trekschuit. In France there is one great metrop- 
olis of wit, as flashy as it is frivolous ; and in this, 
words, with the ideas annexed to them, if any 
there be, whiffle about, from the Faubourg St. 
Germaine, to the Faubourg St. Honore, and back 
again across the Pont de Louis XVI., in the cut- 
ting of a caper ; but this emporium stands in the 
dreary middle of a vast wild ; and preaching any- 
where but in Paris to the French nation, would lit- 
erally be preaching in the desert. In Britain, on 



25 

the contrary, a new idea mounts a mail-coach, 
drawn by four blood-horses, with plated harness 
as light as the chariot of Queen Mab, and sweeps 
along with Macadamized speed and Magna Charta 
security, from Land's End to John o'Groat's 
house, in as short time as Punch would take to 
4 put a girdle round about the earth,' 

Independent of these considerations, this course 
in any country is eminently calculated to promote 
the objects of the Phrenologist. He is enabled 
to multiply facts and observations with reference 
to the science of far more value than the imper- 
fect reports of imperfect observers. More than 
this, justice to the subject requires that man should 
be studied in the various conditions of life ; in the 
city, in the village, in the forest, and even in the 
abode of the lonely hermit. Gall and Spurzheim 
were fully aware of this, and with their ample 
opportunity and persevering industry, no individual 
or institution, remarkable for any peculiarity, es- 
caped their notice and remark. 

' A feature of these memorable travels,' in the 
words of Chenevix, < was their visit to the prison of 
Berlin, and the fortress of Spandau. On the 17th 
of April, 1805, in the presence of the chiefs of the 
establishment, of the inquisitors of the criminal 
department, of various counsellors, and of many 
other witnesses, they were conducted to the prison 
at Berlin, where upwards of two hundred culprits, 
of whom he had never heard till that moment, to 



26 

whose crimes and dispositions they were total 
strangers, were submitted to their inspection. 
Dr. Gall lays much weight upon this visit, as a 
very great practical test of the truth of his sys- 
tem ; and the result is official, being witnessed by 
persons in the employment of the Prussian gov- 
ernment, and proposed for that purpose. 

Dr. Gall immediately pointed out, as a general 
feature in one of the wards, an extraordinary de- 
velopment in the region of the head where the 
organ of theft is situated, and in fact every pris- 
oner there was a thief. Some children, also de- 
tained for theft, were then shown to him ; and in 
them, too, the same organ was very prominent. 
In two of them, particularly, it was excessively 
large ; and the prison-registers confirmed his opin- 
ion that these two were most incorrigible. In an- 
other room, where the women were kept apart, he 
distinguished one dressed exactly like the others, 
occupied like them, and differing in no one thing 
but in the form of her head. ' For what reason is 
this woman here,' asked Gall, ' for her head an- 
nounces no propensity to theft ?' The answer 
was, ' She is the inspectress of this room.' One 
prisoner had the organs of benevolence and of re- 
ligion as strongly developed as those of theft and 
cunning ; and his boast was, that he never had 
committed an act of violence, and that it was re- 
pugnant to his feelings to rob a church. In a 
man named Fritze, detained for the murder of his 



.27 

wife, though his crime was not proved, the organs 
of canning and firmness were fully developed ; and 
it was by these that he eluded conviction. In 
Maschke, he found the organ of mechanical arts, 
together with the head very well organized in 
many respects ; and his crime was coining. In 
Troppe he saw the same organ. This man was 
a shoemaker, who, without instruction, made 
clocks and watches, to gain a livelihood in his 
confinement. On a nearer inspection, the organ 
of imitation was found to be large. c If this man 
had ever been near a theatre,' said Gall, ' he 
would, in all probability, have turned actor.' 
Troppe, astonished at the accuracy of this sen- 
tence, confessed that he had joined a company of 
strolling players for six months. His crime, too, 
was having personated a police officer to extort 
money. The organs of circumspection, prudence, 
foresight, were sadly deficient in Heisig, who, in a 
drunken fit, had stabbed his best friend. In some 
prisoners he found the organ of language, in others 
of color, in others of mathematics ; and his opin- 
ion, in no single instance, failed to be confirmed 
by the known talents and dispositions of the indi- 
vidual. 

' On the 20th of April,' continues the same au- 
thor, < the visit was made at Spandau, in presence 
of the privy-counsellor Hufeland, one of the most 
philosophic physicians of his age, and of several 
other official persons of similar respectability. 



28 

Four hundred and seventy heads were submitted 
to inspection. In every robber the organ of theft 
was highly developed, accompanied by various 
other organs in the different individuals. In one, 
Dr. Gall perceived the organ of mathematics 
strongly pronounced ; together with others, denot- 
ing skill in the mechanical arts. This man, Ku- 
nisch, had in fact committed several robberies, in 
which his dexterity had much assisted him, and 
his address was such, that he was entrusted with 
the care of the spinning-machines in the house of 
correction. Gall asked him whether he had any 
knowledge of calculation. < Do you think I could 
put together a piece of work like this, if I could 
not calculate the effects ?' An old woman, in 
whose head theft, theosophy, and love of offspring, 
were the prominent organs, confessed the justice 
of her punishment, and returned thanks to God 
for having placed her in that establishment ; for 
since her confinement, her children, whom she 
herself could not have educated, had been sent to 
an orphan-house. Albert, distinguished for, his 
haughtiness to his fellow-prisoners, was an exam- 
ple of a strong development of the organ of self- 
esteem. Regina Dcering, an infanticide, was pre- 
sented to him among a band of robbers ; but Gall 
immediately called to Dr. Spurzheim to remark how 
in one organ her head resembled that of a servant 
of his at Vienna, a very excellent person in all other 
respects, but who delighted in killing animals. 



29 

In Kunow, he found the organ of music pre- 
dominant; and it appeared that all the misfor- 
tunes of this person proceeded from his having 
ruined himself by this, his ruling passion. Raps 
had the organs of theft, of murder, and of benev- 
olence, highly developed. His crime was having 
robbed an old woman, round whose neck he had 
fastened a rope with intent to strangle her, but 
having completed his robbery, an emotion of pity 
prompted him to return, and loosen the rope, by 
which act the life of the old woman was saved. 
Such is an extract of the narrative of these cele- 
brated visits to the prisons of Berlin and Spandau, 
which in their day attracted much notice through- 
out Germany. 5 

It should be remarked here, that Spurzheim 
did not acknowledge any organ of i murder? or 
of < theftS He says, in relation to the former, 
that ' Gall formerly called this organ that of 
murder, because he discovered it of large size 
in the heads of two murderers ; but no faculty can 
be named from its abuse. The error Gall com- 
mitted, however, was natural, for the functions 
of all the organs are most easily discovered in their 
state of extreme development, when they are 
very apt to produce abuses. Such then was the 
origin of this erroneous name of a faculty, whose 
well regulated employment is, like that of every 
other, essential to life. I think the name, organ 
of the propensity to destroy, or of destructiveness, 



30 

is the most general, and the most conformable to 
its sphere of activity.' 

The organ of ' theft J he denominated the < or- 
gan of the propensity to acquire, or of acquisitive- 
ness.' < We may inquire,' says he, ' whether 
stealing is natural ; and if so, the effect of a spe- 
cial propensity ? To answer in the affirmative is 
both irrational and dangerous : irrational, because 
the Creator could not bestow any faculty absolutely 
hurtful on man ; dangerous, because it would 
apologize for acts punished as crimes by the law.' 
Further, ' Theft must depend upon a certain fac- 
ulty, and this must be manifested by means of an 
organ ; but theft, being injurious, can only be an 
abuse of that faculty.' 

Gall and Spurzheim's < anatomical demonstra- 
tions, excited every where great interest and ap- 
plause. The great German anatomist and phys- 
iologist, Reil, before whom they dissected a brain 
at Halle, said to Professor BischofF, who wrote an 
exposition of their doctrine, < I have seen in the 
anatomical demonstrations of the brain, made by 
Gall, more than I thought that a man could dis- 
cover in his whole life.' 

As might be expected, the physiological doc- 
trines of Gall and Spurzheim gained many adhe- 
rents, and a due proportion of determined oppo- 
nents. The novelty of their system obtained them 
a ready hearing, and their facts and philosophy 
secured the respect of the candid and inquiring 



31 

mind, while on the other hand, the jealous and 
prejudiced commenced an opposition without 
regard to truth or justice. 

6 In the whole of our travels, 5 says Spurzheim 
in a letter to a friend, ' we have been well re- 
ceived, and the second course was always more 
fully attended than the first, so that there was no 
doubt that the subject excited great interest. But 
it is to be regretted that we stopt too short a 
time to form practical pupils. The principles 
were explained, the development shown, and we 
were off. You will conceive that this was not the 
way to establish the doctrine. We had more ad- 
vantage than our pupils, because we had great 
opportunities of observing the heads of many men 
of talents : we got more conviction than our au- 
ditors. We were prepared by previous study to 
make observations, but our stay was too short to 
teach the auditors to repeat them. Dr. Gall even 
gave the advice not to repeat the experiments, 
since it is difficult to do so. But I am sure, that 
not one Phrenologist from knowledge has fallen 
back, saying that the doctrine is false. I have 
seen frequently the contrary, i. e. the belief in it 
strengthened by self observations.' 

In November, 1807, Dr. Gall, assisted by Dr. 
Spurzheim, delivered his first course of public 
lectures in Paris. ' His assertions,' says Chene- 
vix, ' were supported by a numerous collection of 
skulls, heads, casts ; by a multiplicity of anatom- 



32 

ical, by a multiplicity of physiological facts* 
Great, indeed, was the ardor excited among the 
Parisians by the presence of the men, who, as they 
supposed, could tell their fortunes by their heads, 
as well as Mademoiselle le Normand could do 
with a pack of cards ; and chiromancy was aban- 
doned for cranioscopy. Every one wanted to get 
a peep at them ; every one was anxious to give 
them a dinner, or supper ; and the writer of this 
article actually saw a list on which an eager can- 
didate was delighted to inscribe himself for a 
breakfast, distant only three months and a half; at 
which breakfast he sat a wondering guest.' 

In 1808, they presented a joint memoir, on the 
anatomy of the brain, to the French Institute. 
We present you, said they, in their memoir, ' Une 
description du Systeme Nerveux, moins d'apres sa 
structure physique, et ses formes mecaniques que 
d'apres des Vues Philosophiques et Physiologiques 
que des hommes habitues a des considerations su- 
perieures ne rejuseront point d^accueillirS ' The 
Institute was then in all its glory. In proportion 
as Buonaparte had cannonaded, it had grown en- 
lightened. As the hero was the referendary of 
military justice, so was it the areopagus of scien- 
tific truth. The chief of the anatomical depart- 
ment was M. Cuvier ; and he was the first mem- 
ber of this learned body to whom Drs. Gall and 
Spurzheim addressed themselves. 

M. Cuvier was a man of known talent and ac- 



33 

quirements, and his mind was applicable to many 
branches of science. But what equally distin- 
guished him with the versatility of his understand- 
ing, was the suppleness of his opinions. He re- 
ceived the German Doctors with much politeness. 
He requested them to dissect a brain privately for 
him and a few of his learned friends ; and he at- 
tended a course of lectures, given purposely for 
him and a party of his selection. He listened with 
much attention, and appeared well disposed toward 
the new doctrine ; and the writer of this article heard 
him express his approbation of its general features, 
in a circle which was not particularly private. 

About this time, the Institute had committed an 
act of extraordinary courage, in venturing to ask 
permission of Buonaparte to award a prize medal 
to Sir H. Davy, for his admirable galvanic exper- 
iments, and was still in amaze at its own heroism. 
Consent was obtained ; but the soreness of na- 
tional defeat rankled deeply within. When the 
First Consul was apprised that the greatest of his 
comparative anatomists had attended a course of 
lectures by Dr. Gall, be broke out as furiously as 
he had done against Lord Whitworth ; and at his 
levee he rated the wise men of his land for allow- 
ing themselves to be taught chemistry by an Eng- 
lishman, and anatomy by a German ; sat verbum. 
The wary citizen altered his language. A com- 
mission was named by the Institute to report upon 
the labors of Drs. Gall and Spurzheim ; M. Cu- 

E 



34 

vier drew up the report. In this he used his 
efforts, not to proclaim the truth, but to diminish 
the merits of the learned Germans. Whenever 
he could find the most distant similarity between 
the slightest point of their mode of operating, and 
any thing ever done before, he dwelt upon it with 
peculiar pleasure : and lightly touched upon what 
was really new. He even affected to excuse the 
Institute for taking the subject into consideration 
at all, saying that the anatomical researches were 
entirely distinct from the physiology of the brain, 
and the doctrines of mental manifestations. Of 
this part of the subject Buonaparte, and not with- 
out cause, had declared his reprobation ; and M. 
Cuvier was too great a lover of liberty not to sub- 
mit his opinion to that of his Consul. His asser- 
tion, too, that the anatomy of the brain has noth- 
ing to say to its mental influence, he knew to be 
in direct opposition to fact ; but even the meagre 
credit which he did dare to allow to the new mode 
of dissection, he wished to dilute with as much 
bitterness as he could. So unjust and unsatisfac- 
tory, so lame and mutilated did the whole report 
appear, that the authors of the new method pub- 
lished an answer, in which they accused the com- 
missaries of not having repeated their experiments. 
Such was the reception which the science of 
Phrenology met with from the Academy of the 
great nation. 5 * 

* Chenevix. 



35 

That Cuvier was favorably disposed towards 
the new doctrines of Gall and Spurzheim we 
think cannot be denied. That he was in- 
fluenced by the opinions of the First Consul is 
equally certain, he having expressed himself to his 
friends more in favor of their views, than in his 
report. 

6 Cuvier,' says Spurzheim in his answer to Gor- 
don, ' however, was too well acquainted with the 
German and European literature, to accuse us of 
plagiarism. He allowed that our method of dis- 
secting the brain is preferable to that commonly 
used in the schools ; — that we are the first who 
have shewn the swellings in the spinal cord of 
a calf; — the proportion between the brown and 
white substance of the brain ; — the true origin 
of the optic and other nerves : — the certainty of 
the decussation ; — the successive reinforcement 
through the pons, crura, optic thalami, the cor- 
pora striata ; — the two sorts of fibres in the brain, 
and the generality of the commissures. As the 
report is printed, even translat d and inserted in 
the Edinburgh Medical and Surgical Journal for 
January, 1809, the reader, in p°r using the report, 
may satisfy himself. I ask the historian, why he 
has omitted to tell his readers, that Cuvier, in the 
Annual Report, published, that our Memoir was 
by far the most important which had occupied the 
attention of the class ? ' 

About this time, 1809, they commenced pub- 



36 

lishing their magnificent work, entitled, ' The 
Anatomy and Physiology of the Nervous System in 
general, and of the Brain in particular ; with Ob- 
servations upon the possibility of ascertaining several 
intellectual and moral dispositions of Man and Ani- 
mals, by the configuration of their Heads. 4 volumes, 
folio, with an Atlas of 100 plates. ? 

This great work was continued, by the joint ex- 
ertions of Gall and Spurzheim, to the completion 
of two and a half volumes, and was ultimately 
finished by Gall in 1819. The reason of this sepa- 
ration, it is alleged, originated in some disagree- 
ment between the authors. * We continued labor- 
ing,' says Spurzheim, 'in common until 1813, 
when our connexion ceased, and each began to 
pursue the subject for himself.' The assistance 
of Spurzheim in the execution of this great work 
must have been important, as his discoveries 
formed the principal object of its publication.* 
' All the drawings,' says he, ' were executed under 
my superintendence, from anatomical prepara- 
tions, made and determined on by me ; the en- 
graver worked by my directions ; no plate was sent 
to press without my approval ; the descriptions of 
the plates and anatomical details are mine ; and I 
furnished the literary notices in regard to the 
nerves of the abdominal thorax, to those of the 
cerebral column, of the five senses, of the cere- 
bellum, and of the brain.' 

* Preface to Spurzheim's Anatomy of the Brain. 



37 

The price of this work was 1000 francs. 
( ' Dr. Ga.ll, being the first founder of Phrenol- 
ogy,) remains immortal. The success of his la- 
bors, too, was immense. He discovered the situa- 
tion of twenty-six phrenological organs. I say 
twenty-six, instead of twenty-seven, because his 
organ of verbal memory and that of language are 
to be considered one. But his talent and the sphere 
of its operations had their limits, and since our sep- 
aration in 1813, Dr. Gall has neither made a new 
discovery in Phrenology, nor a step towards its 
improvement.'* 

We think it proper here to conclude our notice 
of the founder of Phrenology. 

Dr. Gall made Paris his home. He acquired 
an honorable reputation as a physician, writer, 
and philosopher, and, independent of the respect 
shewn him by all parties, he realized the additional 
reward of a handsome fortune. His skill as a 
physician may be inferred from the following fact : 
In the year 1820, a medal was presented to him, 
1 executed by M. Barre, an eminent artist in Paris, 
by order of Count Potosky, a rich Polish noble- 
man, who took this method of expressing his deep 
gratitude to Dr. Gall, who had cured him of an 
old and dangerous malady, for which he had in 
vain consulted the best medical men in Paris. On 
one side of the medal is the head of Dr. Gall, an 
admirable likeness ; and on the other is Escula- 

* Note 3 to Chevenix's article, by Dr. Spurzheim. 



38 

pius, standing at the bedside of the patient, chas- 
ing away with one hand the birds of darkness, and 
crushing a frog, the symbol of ignorance, under 
his right foot. Behind Esculapius is an altar, with 
a skull placed upon it, to denote the particular 
kind of study to which Dr. Gall was addicted. 
Near the couch are the arms of the count himself. 
This medal is very scarce, and, as a testimony 
honorable alike to Count Potosky and to Dr. Gall, 
it is very valuable.' 

A brief account of the death of this distinguished 
man is presented in the following extract from an 
address by Dr. A. Combe.* 

Passing over for the present, from necessity 
rather than from inclination, a more detailed no- 
tice of our immortal founder, I may simply add, 
that in March last, at the conclusion of one of his 
lectures, Dr. Gall was seized with a paralytic at- 
tack, from which he never perfectly recovered, 
and which ultimately carried him off on the 22d 
of August, 1828, in the seventy-second year of his 
age ; that his remains were followed to the grave 
by an immense concourse of friends and admirers, 
five of whom pronounced discourses over his 
grave, as is the custom in France on such occa- 
sions; that his death gave rise to a succession of 
eulogiums and attacks in the French newspapers 
that had scarcely ever been paralleled ; but that 

* Dr. Combe's Address to the Edinburgh Phrenological Society, Nov. 
1828, Ph. Jour. vol. v. p. 477. 



39 

public sentiment was warmly and loudly expressed 
in his favor. In proof of this, I may be allowed to 
quote a few lines of a letter lately received from a 
French friend with whom 1 was intimate in Paris, 
but who is no phrenologist, and whose testimony 
is therefore impartial. After speaking of the po- 
litical relations of France, he adds, ' You will, I 
am sure, be more affected by the death of Dr. 
Gall than by any political events. In truth, it is 
an immense loss to science. Whatever opinion 
we may form of the system of that illustrious man, 
it must be acknowledged that he has made an im- 
mense stride in the sciences of medicine and of 
man. You must have been satisfied with the ho- 
mage paid to his memory by the side of his grave, 
by whatever distinguished men Pa :is possesses. 
Nothing was wanting to his glory ; not even the 
abuse and calumnies of our devots de gazette.'* 

' Most of us,' says a writer in the Birmingham 
Journal, ' find some amusement in tracing, on 
Fancy's tablet, the portrait of a person of whom 
we have heard much, and particularly after we 
have read many of the works of an author, but 
with whom we have had no personal acquaintance. 
It generally happens, however, that our portrait 
is not correct, when we compare it with the orig- 
inal. Thus it was with myself. I found Dr. Gall 
(in 1826) to be a man of middle stature, of an 
outline well-proportioned ; he was thin and rather 
pallid, and possessed a capacious head and chest. 



40 

The peculiar brilliancy of his penetrating eye left 
an indelible impression. His countenance was 
remarkable, — his features strongly marked and 
rather large, yet devoid of coarseness. The 
general impression that a first glance was calcu- 
lated to convey would be, that Dr. Gall was a 
man of originality and depth of mind, possessing 
much urbanity, with some self-esteem and inflex- 
ibility of design. 

After presenting my letters of introduction to 
him at seven o'clock A. M. he showed me into a 
room, the walls of which were covered with bird- 
cages, and the floor with dogs, cats, &x. Ob- 
serving that I was surprised at the number of his 
companions, he observed, « All you Englishmen 
take me for a bird-catcher ; I am sure you feel 
surprised that 1 am not somewhat differently made 
to any of you, and that I should employ my time 
in talking to birds. Birds, Sir, differ in their dis- 
positions like men ; and if they were but of more 
consequence, the peculiarity of their characters 
would have been as well delineated. Do you 
think,' said he, turning his eyes to two beautiful 
dogs at his feet, which were endeavoring to gain 
his attention, ' do you think that these little pets 
possess pride and vanity like man ? ' ' Yes,' said I, 
'1 have remarked their vanity frequently.' ' We will 
call both feelings into action,' said he ; he then 
caressed the whelp and took it into his arms ; 
'mark his mother's offended pride,' said he, as 



41 

she was walking quietly across the chamber to 
her mat ; ' do you think she will come if I call 
her ? ' < Oh, yes,' I answered. c No, not at all.' 
He made the attempt; but she heeded not the hand 
she had so earnestly endeavored to lick but an 
instant before. « She will not speak to me to- 
day,' said the doctor. He then described to me 
the peculiarity of many of his birds, and I was 
astonished to find, that he seemed familiar also 
with their dispositions, (if I may be allowed 
the word.) c Do you think a man's time would 
be wasted thus in England ? You are a wealthy 
and a powerful nation, and as long as the equilib - 
rium exists between the two, so shall you remain ; 
but this never has nor cannot exist beyond a 
certain period. Such is your industry, stimulated 
by the love of gain, that your whole life is 
spun out before you are aware the wheel is 
turning ; and so highly do you value commerce, 
that it stands in the place of self-knowledge, and 
an acquaintance with nature and her immense 
laboratory.' 

1 was delighted with this conversation ; he 
seemed to me to take a wider view in the contem- 
plation of man than any other person with whom 
I had ever conversed. During breakfast, he fre- 
quently fed the little suitors, who approached as 
near as their iron bars would admit. < You see 
they all know me,' said he, < and will feed from 
my hand, except this black-bird, who must gain his 

F 



42 

morsel by stealth before he eats it ; we will re- 
tire an instant, and in our absence he will take 
the bread.' On our return, we found he had se- 
creted it in a corner of his cage. I mention these, 
otherwise uninteresting anecdotes, to show how 
much Dr Gall had studied the peculiarities of the 
smaller animals. After our breakfast, he showed 
me his extensive collection ; and thus ended my 
first visit to the greatest moral philosopher that 
Europe has produced ; to a man, than whom few 
were ever more ridiculed, and few ever pursued 
their bent more determinately, despite its effects ; 
to a man, who alone effected more change in 
mental philosophy than perhaps any predecessor ; 
to a man, who suffered more persecution, and yet 
possessed more philanthropy than most philoso- 
phers.' 

Many more interesting details might be added 
in relation to this distinguished man, but our limits 
forbid their introduction here, and we return to 
the subject of our biography. 

In June, 1813, Dr. Spurzheim paid a visit to 
Vienna, to receive his degree of M. D. Previous 
to his departure, he had studied for six months 
the English language. These were preparatory 
steps to his scientific travels, and considering that 
England was to be the first field of his labors, 
they were, of course, most important. After a 
few months residence in Vienna, he left for Eng- 
land, and arrived at London, March, 1814. 



43 

Without doubt, Spurzheim had seen much in the 
character of the English that corresponded to his 
own ; — carefulness and patience in study, but bold- 
ness in opinion ; ardent in the pursuit of scientific 
discoveries, but regulated by deliberate reflection. 
Although he may have found these characteristics, 
he probably saw others quite as prominent, peculiar- 
ly national ; for, often what is denominated delibe- 
ration proves to be studied obstinacy. Not that the 
English are unwilling to see and to hear, but that 
their reason is too frequently made subservient to 
their pride. They pursue a course contrary 
to the principles of human nature, not be at- 
tracted or moved by novelty or new objects of 
utility, but they are too much accustomed to 
esteem themselves infallible in their doctrines to 
make it an easy task to surrender ancient opinions, 
for the adoption of new ones from a foreign 
country. 

* ' The moment of his first visit was not pro- 
pitious. The nation was still smarting with the 
scars of war. Many things, too, had indisposed 
it to the lore of Germany ; it was jealous and 
touchy upon the subject of quackery. Mesmer, 
Mainaduke, Perkins, the morbid sentimentalism 
of Miss Ann Plumptre's translation, had made it 
so ; and Dr. Spurzheim had to struggle against 
all these obstacles. The campaign was opened by 

* Chenevix, 



44 

a dissection of the brain, at the Medico-Chirur- 
gical Society's in Lincoln's Inn Fields ; and the 
novelty as well as the truth of the demonstration, 
that this viscus is composed of fibres, created no 
small surprise among the learned audience. The 
choice of such a mode to enter upon the subject 
was eminently judicious, as it placed it at once 
upon a respectable footing, by making an appeal 
to science. The effect in its favor, however, was 
not so general as might have been expected. 
When a course of lectures was delivered, not 
more than forty auditors were present ; neither 
did a second course attract a more numerous 
circle.' 

It is said, that Dr. Abernethy 6 fully acknowl- 
edged the superiority of Dr. Spurzheim's anatom- 
ical demonstrations over every previous mode of 
dissecting the brain,' and that he ' directed the 
attention of his class to Dr. Spurzheim's anatomi- 
cal labors, as most important discoveries.'* 

As the opinions of Mr. Abernethy are always 
read with interest and respect, we introduce the 
following extracts from the 2d volume of his Sur- 
gery, which relate to Drs. Gall and Spurzheim 
and their doctrines. 

' The views which Drs. Gall and Spurzheim 
have taken of the nature of the dispositions and 
faculties of man and animals appear to me, how- 

* Prof. Follen. 



45 

ever, both new and philosophical, and these admit 
of being surveyed without any reference to organ- 
ization or its supposed situation. It is thus only 
that I submit them to you as well deserving your 
examination ; for I think it will be acknowledged 
that they have drawn a correct portrait of human 
nature, whether they be right or wrong in their 
speculations concerning certain protuberances 
which they have depicted. 5 

It should be remembered that Gall and Spurz- 
heim do not speak of ' protuberances ' or ' bumps; ' 
they require that every one who ' wishes to form 
an opinion concerning the reality of Phrenology, 
must make himself acquainted with, 1. the situation 
of the special organs ; 2. with the true meaning 
of each fundamental faculty of the mind, as adopt- 
ed in Phrenology ; 3. with the different tempera- 
men tsas giving more or less energy to the func- 
tion of the organs ; 4. with the relative develop- 
ment of the four regions of the head, occipital, 
lateral, frontal and sincipital ; 5. with the pro- 
portionate size of the basilar to the coronal por- 
tion, and with the proportionate size of the three 
great divisions of the inferior feelings, superior 
sentiments and intellectual faculties ; finally, 6. 
with the relative development of the special or- 
gans in each individual.' 

After considering the science in detail, Mr. 
Abernethy thus remarks in conclusion : 

c The foregoing representation of human nature, 



46 

when viewed in its proper light, and with due at- 
tention, must, I think, please every one ; for it is 
not like others heretofore presented to us, which 
appear in comparison but as mere diagrams, the re- 
sult of study and imagination, whilst this seems 
like a portrait from life by masterly hands. It is 
not, indeed, exactly like any individual, but ca- 
pable by alterations of being made to resemble 
every one ; so that by the help of a few touches 
we are able readily to show ' Virtue her own image, 
Vice her own deformity,' in all their diversities. 

* I had great gratification in being intimate with 
Dr. Spurzheim whilst he remained in London, and 
in a kind of badinage I proposed to him questions 
which he answered with facility, and in a manner 
that showed a very perfect knowledge of human 
nature. For instance, I inquired whether he had 
discovered any organ of common sense ; and he 
replied in the negative. I then demanded in 
what that quality consisted ; and he answered, in 
the balance of power between other organs. This 
answer shows why a quality so peculiarly useful 
is common to all, and rare in any ; for there are 
but few who have not prejudices and partialities, 
hopes or fears, or predominant feelings, which 
prevent them from pursuing that middle and equal 
course of thought and conduct, which unbiassed 
consideration, or common sense, indicates and di- 
rects. I inquired of Dr. Spurzheim if there was 
any organ of self-control, or if not, whence that 



47 

that power originated. He said, ' It is the re 
suit of a predominating motive ; thus, justice may 
control avarice, and avarice sensuality.' In 
short, I readily acknowledge my inability to offer 
any rational objection to Gall and Spurzheim's 
system of Phrenology, as affording a satisfactory 
explanation of the motives of human actions. 

* Their representation simplifies our notions of 
such motives, by lessening the number of reputed 
agents ; thus the want of benevolence and virtuous 
dispositions, with excitement to anger, produces 
malevolence, and this, conjoined with concealment, 
malice. I need not recite a variety of instances, 
since they are sufficiently apparent.' 

From London, Dr. Spurzheim proceeded to 
Bath, Bristol, Cork and Dublin, where he was 
well received, and where he lectured with success. 

In 1815, an article appeared in the June number 
of the Edinburgh Review, in which Gall and 
Spurzheim were most heartily reviled and abused. 
It was too violent and severe for its own purpose, 
viz. the prostration of Phrenology by general de- 
nunciations and opprobrious epithets. An example 
or two will illustrate the spirit of the writer 
better than any language of ours. It is interesting 
to mark the tone of this journal at that period, 
and observe its subsequent changes. Violence of 
thought, of expression, or of action being constantly 
subject to the revision of cool reflection, is much 
more liable to reverses than moderate hostility, 



48 

originating either in prejudice or wilful igno- 
rance. 

From the Edinburgh Review for June, 1815 : 

' We look upon the whole doctrines taught by 
these two modern peripatetics, (Drs. Gall and 
Spurzheim,) anatomical, physiological, and phys- 
iognomical, as a piece of thorough quackery from 
beginning to end.' 

' Were they (Drs. Gall and Spurzheim,) even to 
succeed in shaking off the suspicion of mala fides, 
which we apprehend is inseparably attached to 
their character, we should not hesitate to say,' &c. 

' There are a certain number of individuals, 
however, in every community, who are destined 
to be dupes of empirics, so it would be rather 
matter of surprise if these itinerant philosophers 
did not make some proselytes wherever they 
come. Well has the learned and most witty his- 
torian of Mr. John Bull's indisposition remarked, 
" there is nothing so impossible in nature, but moun- 
tebanks will undertake, nothing so incredible, but 
they will affirm." ' 

6 We have two objects in view in a formal expose* 
and exposure of the contents of the volume before 
us. The first is to contradict directly various 
statements, in point of fact, made by Drs. Gall and 
Spurzheim with unparalleled boldness and effron- 
tery, which persons, perfectly satisfied of the gene- 
ral absurdity of their opinions, may not have the 
same opportunity of refuting as ourselves : The 



49 

second, and by far the most important, to save the 
purses of our readers, if possible, before it be too 
late, by satisfying that curiosity which might oth- 
erwise lead them to purchase the books them- 
selves, or attend the lectures of these cunning 
craniologersJ 

* Such are the opinions of Drs. Gall and Spurz- 
heim on the functions in general of man, and on his 
intellectual faculties in particular. We have been 
the more minute in our sketch of them, that their 
absurdity might be the more apparent. To enter 
on a particular refutation of them, would be to in- 
sult the understandings of our readers. Indeed 
we will flatter the authors so far as to say, that 
their observations are of a nature to set criticism 
entirely at defiance. They are a collection of 
mere absurdities, without truth, connexion, or 
consistency ; an incoherent rhapsody, which noth- 
ing could have induced any man to have present- 
ed to the public, under a pretence of instructing 
them, but absolute insanity , gross ignorance, or 
the most matchless assurance.' 

6 Such is the trash, the despicable trumpery, 
which two men, calling themselves scientific in- 
quirers, have the impudence gravely to present 
to the physiologists of the nineteenth century, as 
specimens of reasoning and induction.' 

The review thus concludes : 

' The writings of Drs. Gall and Spurzheim have 
not added one fact to the stock of our knowledge, 

G 



60 

respecting either the structure or functions of man ; 
but consist of such a mixture of gross errors, extrav- 
agant absurdities, downright misstatements, and 
unmeaning quotations from Scripture, as can leave 
no doubt, we apprehend, in the minds of honest 
and intelligent men, as to the real ignorance, the 
real hypocrisy, and the real empiricism of the 
authors.' 

Dr. Spurzheim had always intended to visit 
Scotland, and this article had a tendency to con- 
firm his desire. < He procured one letter of in- 
troduction for that city, and but one ; that was to 
the reputed author of the vituperating essay, (Dr. 
Gordon.) He visited him, and obtained permis- 
sion to dissect a brain in his presence. The au- 
thor himself was a lecturer on anatomy, and the 
dissection took place in his lecture-room. Some 
eyes were a little more, or a little less, clear-sighted 
than others, for they saw, or thought they saw, 
fibres. A second day was named. The room 
was as full as it could be, particularly as an in- 
termediate bench was reserved for Dr. Spurzheim, 
to carry round the subject of inquiry to every spec- 
tator. There, with the Edinburgh Review in one 
hand, and a brain in the other, he opposed fact to 
assertion. The writer of the article still believed 
the Edinburgh Review, but the public believed the 
anatomist; and that day won over near five hun- 
dred witnesses to the fibrous' structure of the 
white substance of the brain, while it drew off a 



51 

large portion of admiring pupils from the antag- 
onist lecturer.'* 

During this lecture, which occupied five hours, 
he was 'repeatedly and captiously interrupted' 
by his bitter antagonist ; but his mild deportment 
and persuasive candor secured him the respect of 
his auditors and an impartial hearing. 

6 Thus aided by success, Dr. Spurzhcirn opened a 
course of lectures on the anatomy and the functions 
of the brain, and its connexion with mind. He 
used to say to the Scotch, " You are slow, but 
you are sure ; I must remain some time with you, 
and then I'll leave the fruit of my labors to ripen 
in your hands. This is the spot from which, as 
from a centre, the doctrines of Phrenology shall 
spread over Britain." These predictions proved 
true. Converts flocked in on all sides ; the in- 
credulous came and were convinced.'* 

Phrenology became the topic of public and 
private discussion. Parties were formed, the pas- 
sions enlisted, and all that characterizes the zeal- 
ous politician, seemed to actuate the citizens of 
Edinburgh in the investigation of the science. 

During Dr. Spurzheim's stay in Edinburgh, he 
visited the work-shop of Mr. James Mylne, an in- 
genious brass-founder, and examined the heads of 
his apprentices. The following is Mr. Mylne's 
account of what took place upon the occasion : 

' On the first boy presented to Dr. Spurzheim, 
on his entering the shop, he observed, that he 

* Chenevix. 



52 

would excel in any thing he was put to. In thi* 
he was perfectly correct, as he was one of the 
cleverest boys I ever had. On proceeding further, 
Dr. S. remarked of another boy, that he would 
make a good workman. In this instance, also, his 
observation was well founded. An elder brother 
of his was working next him, who, he said, would 
also turn out a good workman, but not equal to 
the other. I mentioned that in point of fact the 
former was the best, although both were good. 
In the course of further observation, Dr. S. re- 
marked of others, that they ought to be ordinary 
tradesmen, and they were so. At last he pointed 
out one, who, he said, ought to be of a different 
cast, and of whom i would never be able to make 
any thing as a workman, and this turned out to 
be too correct ; for the boy served an apprentice- 
ship of seven years, and when done, he was not 
able to do one third of the work performed by 
other individuals, to whose instruction no greater 
attention had been paid. So much was I struck 
with Dr. Spurzheim's observations, and so correct 
have I found the indications presented by the or- 
ganization to be, that when workmen, or boys to 
serve as apprentices, apply to me, I at once give 
the preference to those possessing a large con- 
structiveness ; and if the deficiency is very great, 
I would be disposed to decline receiving them, 
being convinced of their inability to succeed.'* 

* PbrenoJ. Jour. 



53 



After a residence of seven months of great ac- 
tivity and success in Edinburgh, Dr. Spurzheim 
returned to London in 1817. He there delivered 
another course of lectures ; but the interest in the 
science had not much increased in his absence, 
as was indicated by the number of his auditors. 
While in London, he became a Licentiate of the 
Royal College of Physicians, and published the 
following works, in English, viz. ; The Physiog- 
nomical System of Drs, Gall and Spurzheim in 
8vo ; Outline of the System, in 12mo ; a very 
valuable work on Insanity, in 8vo, and a calm and 
able answer to the reviewers. 

The spirit and temper of this answer to the 
reviewers was truly commendable, and afforded 
a salutary example to his opponents, as may be in- 
ferred from the extracts which follow, taken from 
the preface : 

' Discussions properly conducted, are of great 
utility. For that reason I am always ready to 
examine every objection against our doctrines. 
But 1 am sorry to observe, that scientific pursuits 
are so often degraded by selfish passions and 
spirit of party ; — that literary publications are em- 
ployed for the purposes of calumny and detrac- 
tion ; that invectives are used instead of arguments ; 
and that by praising friends and blaming rivals, 
the progress of the arts and sciences, and the im- 
provement of man, are mightily retarded. 

i Such behavior I will never imitate ; nay, the 



• 54 

illiberal and uncandid manner in which some 
British reviews have taken up our investigations, 
has hitherto prevented me from attempting justi- 
fication. As, however, many persons have no in- 
clination, and a greater number no time, for com- 
paring the original works with the reports of the 
critics ; and as in science the majority of readers 
believe, without examining for themselves, I can- 
not entirely avoid controversy.' 

£ I am now to submit to the public some obser- 
vations on the objections of our principal antag- 
onists in Great Britain, confining myself to the 
points in question, and depending on the moral 
sense, the judgment and observation, of my rea- 
ders.' 

1 Every one will perceive, that our adversaries 
are very witty men. They deal very extensively 
in the ridiculous ; and when they have leisure to 
become serious, they speak of the motives and 
dangerous consequences of our inquiries ; but their 
generous minds need not be apprehensive, since 
they declare our doctrines ' incredible and dis- 
graceful nonsense, absurd theories, trash and des- 
picable trumpery.' 

' Why do they not rather listen to our constant 
declaration, that one fact well observed, is more 
decisive to us than a thousand opinions and all 
the metaphysical reasoning of the schools, and 
that facts alone can expel such intruders as our 
doctrines ? ' 



55 

This able and conclusive reply, which secured 
to its author the respect even of his opponents, 
thus concludes : 

' Certainly, with such critical reviewers, such 
would-be philosophers, such mechanical dissec- 
tors, and such historians, I have done forever ; — 
and I may say with Job (xiii. 5.) u Oh, that you 
would altogether hold your peace, and it should 
be your wisdom."' 

In July, 1817, Dr. Spurzheim returned to Paris. 
During his absence from Paris, Dr. Gall did not 
lecture : after his return, Dr. Gall delivered one 
private course in his own house, and two public 
courses gratis ; one ' a PEcole de Medicine, 5 and 
the other in a hall de PInstitution pour les Aven- 
gles.' Dr. Spurzheim himself had regularly two 
courses of lectures, after his return to Paris, i sur 
1'Anatomie, la Physiologie, et la Pathologie du 
Cerveau, et des sens exterieurs ; ' each course 
lasting three months. 

1 Phrenology,' said he, ' had been in a great 
measure forgotten during several years, but it 
gains strength of new. The ridicule which pur- 
sued it in France is overcome, and it now bears 
the reputation of a science. My auditors have 
increased in numbers each succeeding course ; 
and as a greater part of them are strangers from 
different regions, they will not fail to spread the 
doctrines in their native countries. The zeal 
and assiduity with which they have followed my 



K£ 



instructions, authorize me to entertain this expec- 
tation.' 

Spurzheim also devoted himself to the practice 
of medicine, and visited in this capacity several 
American families then residing in Paris. But the 
medical profession was not his favorite occupa- 
tion. Like many other professors of the healing 
art, he had but little confidence in his own pre- 
scriptions. He was more devoted to philosophy 
and the study of man. 

We are indebted to Dr. Combe for a striking 
confirmation of the truth of Phrenology which oc- 
curred in his presence, while attending Dr.. Spurz- 
heim's lectures in Paris. 

\ ' In the middle of the lecture of the 1st Decem- 
ber, 1818, a brain was handed in, with a request 
that Dr. Spurzheim would say what dispositions it 
indicated, and he would then be informed how far 
he was correct. Dr. Spurzheim took the brain 
without any hesitation, and after premising that 
the experiment was not a fair one, in as far as he 
was not made acquainted with the state of health, 
constitution or education, of the individual, all of 
which it was essential for him to be aware of be- 
fore drawing positive inferences ; he added, that 
nevertheless, he would give an opinion on the sup- 
position that the brain had been a sound one, and 
endowed with an ordinary activity. After which, 
he proceeded to point out the peculiarities of de- 
velopment which it presented, and desired his 



57 

auditors to remark the unusual size of the cere- 
bellum, or organ of amativeness, and the great 
development of the posterior, and of part of the 
middle lobes of the brain, corresponding to the 
organ of the lower propensities, the convolutions 
of which were large and rounded, forming a con- 
trast with the deficient size of the anterior lobes, 
which are dedicated to the intellectual faculties. 

The convolutions situated under the vertex, and 
towards the top of the head, belonging to the 
organs of self-esteem and firmness were also very 
large, while those of veneration and benevolence 
were small. These peculiarities were so well 
marked, that Dr. Spurzheim felt no difficulty in in- 
ferring that the individual would be very prone to 
sensual indulgences ; that i his natural tendencies 
would not be towards virtue ; ' that he would be 
what is familiarly expressed in French by ' un 
mauvais sujet, J being a very comprehensive term 
for every variety of bad dispositions, and that ' he 
would he one to whom the law would he necessary as 
a guide ; 5 but not knowing the circumstances in 
which he had been placed, he could not say what 
his actions might have been. 

At the conclusion of the lecture, a young man, 
an eleve interne of the Hotel Dieu, came forward 
and said, that the brain was that of a suicide, who 
had died in that hospital, and that the dispositions 
inferred by Dr. Spurzheim coincided perfectly 
with those manifested during life. As I was at 

H 



58 

the same time following the surgical clinique of 
the celebrated Dupuytren, whose patient he was, 
and as the case was interesting both in a profes- 
sional and phrenological point of view, my atten- 
tion had been particularly directed to this very 
individual from the day of his entrance into the 
Hotel Dieu, to that of his death, a period of about 
fourteen days ; and I was thus better able to ap- 
preciate the perfect accuracy of Dr. Spurzheim's 
conclusions, than if I had merely trusted to the 
report of the eleve. The man, it appeared, had 
been a soldier, and had for some crime suffered 
ignominious punishment, and had been dismissed 
from the army. He returned to Orleans, to re- 
sume his trade of barber, but every one shunned 
him ; and, suspecting his wife to have been se- 
cretly his enemy, he attempted to kill her with a 
knife, and, being defeated in this, he stabbed him- 
self in the side, was carried to the hospital, and 
died of the wound. As he lay in bed, the head 
sunk in the pillow, its size seemed to be small, 
but this arose from the anterior part, or the seat 
of intellect (which was very deficient) being alone 
visible, the whole bulk consisting of the organs of 
the propensities. Dupuytren, when commenting 
on the case, in his lecture, made daily complaints 
of the man's mauvais moral, imperiousness, and 
violence of temper, and represented these qualities 
as great obstacles to his recovery. So that alto- 
gether, the close coincidence between the facts 



59 

with which I was familiar, and the remarks of 
Dr. Spurzheim, who had never seen the skull, and 
judged from the brain alone, as it lay misshapen 
on a flat dish, made a deep impression on my 
mind, as it went far to prove, not only that organic 
size had a powerful influence on energy of func- 
tion, but that there actually were differences in 
different brains, appreciable to the senses, and 
indicative of diversity of function.' 

The following account of the state of Phrenolo- 
gy in Paris, June, 1821, was communicated by a 
member of the Edinburgh Society, in a private 
letter, to the editor of the New Edinburgh Re- 
view, and appeared in that journal in October of 
the same year : 

c I have heard, 5 says the writer, ' a belief, in 
Phrenology avowed by some of the most eminent 
Professors, both of the College and of the Garden 
of Plants. Blainville mentioned in a lecture 
which I. heard, that the principles were too well 
established to admit of doubt, and that he him- 
self had made many observations, and never found 
an exception. He said that he regarded the 
greater number of the organs as established, and 
that he believed further observations alone were 
wanting to enable Jrim to admit others. 

He started some objections regarding the lower 
animals, the unequal thickness of whose skulls, he 
said, rendered it difficult to determine whether 
the external elevations, perceptible in their heads, 



60 

were caused by brain or bone. In man, he said, 
no such objection exists, except in old age, or 
cases of disease. Geoffroy St. Hilaire also, in his 
lectures at the Museum of Natural History, avows 
his belief in the doctrines, and points out in the 
lower animals many correspondences. Monsieur 
Royer, too, of the Garden of Plants, is well known 
as a most decided convert; and, indeed, he ap- 
plied to me to procure for him the form of an ap- 
plication to be admitted a corresponding member 
of the Phrenological Society of Edinburgh, which 
I obtained and gave him. It is worth mentioning 
also, that about two years ago, Dr. Gall, at the 
request of the Minister of the Interior, commenced 
lecturing for the benefit of the Medical Students 
in Paris. The lectures were, like others, deliv- 
ered gratis ; but he was provided with the use of 
the operation and lecture room in the Hospice de 
Perfectionnement, for his first course, and after- 
wards on account of that being too small, with the 
large examination room of the Institution des 
Jeunes Aveugles, which is well fitted for the pur- 
pose. His audience amounted to betwixt 200 and 
300 ; and so eagerly is he attended, that it is well 
known that many more tickets were applied for 
at each course than could be given, and that the 
apartment was regularly crowded half an hour 
before the lecture began. Dr. Spurzheim also 
continues to lecture in Paris, and although, from 
his demanding a fee, his auditory is not numerous 



61 

compared with Dr. Gall's, yet he is regularly at- 
tended, and his course is esteemed the more phi- 
losophic of the two. I beg to add, that the phys- 
iognomical expression of some of the English 
students who were present at Blainville's lecture, 
and who probably knew nothing of Phrenology, 
but through the English Reviews, was truly ludi- 
crous. They appeared to relax their features for 
a laugh when the name of Dr. Gall first escaped 
the lips of the Professor ; but when they heard 
him spoken of with respect, and his doctrines de- 
clared to be true, the expression changed into 
wonder with some, and in others to absolute con- 
tempt. I thought of the self-esteem for which 
their nation is so remarkable, and could not re- 
frain from smiling in my own turn, at this amusing 
manifestation of the organ. 5 

Dr. Spurzheim decided upon Paris, as his per- 
manent home. There he had every facility for 
the prosecution of his studies and valuable oppor- 
tunities to teach his doctrines to students from 
every part of the civilized world. Here, says he, 
in a letter to a friend in Edinburgh, dated Paris, 
2d February, 1821 — 'je me propose de passer le 
reste ma vie, occupe de la connaissance de Phomme 
dans Petat de sante et de maladie? 

He published a work in Paris, Sur la Folie ; 
another, Sur la Phrenologie ; another, Essai Phi- 
losophique sur la Nature Morale et Intellectuelle de 
P Homme; besides his medical dissertation, Du 



62 

Cerveau sous les rapports Anatomiques. In the year 
1821, the degree of Doctor of Medicine was con- 
ferred on him by the University of Paris. | 

In 1824, Dr. Spurzheim married a French 
widow lady, with whom he had been acquainted a 
long time. She was a lady of great accomplish- 
ment and merit. i Several ladies of Boston, 
who were introduced to Mrs. Spurzheim in 
Paris and in London, remember her with the 
highest esteem and delight. Her whole manner 
expressed a union of true humility, tender at- 
tachment, and conscious power, which excited at 
once affection and confidence. She entered fully 
into her husband's pursuits, and aided him by her 
uncommon skill in drawing. To her pencil we 
are indebted for a number of those excellent draw- 
ings used by Dr. Spurzheim in his lectures. But 
far more important to him was the aid which he 
derived from the unseen and inexhaustible treas- 
ures of a true and devoted heart. It was often 
observed, how well their characters seemed to be 
fitted for each other. They were both adepts in 
that profoundest of all sciences, and the most 
pleasing of all the fine arts — Christian benevo- 
lence shewn forth in beautiful manners. It is 
characteristic of Dr. Spurzheim, that one of the 
reasons which influenced him in the choice of his 
wife was the knowledge that she had undergone 
great suffering, which he thought essential to the 
perfection of human nature.' * 

* Prof. Follen. 



63 

These opinions respecting Mrs. S. were fully con- 
firmed by Dr. Spurzheim, himself, a short time 
previous to his death. Having occasion to allude 
to her, he remarked, ' that she possessed a mind 
of an uncommon character, and that he had never 
found a superior.' She pursued the study of 
Phrenology with great assiduity, and was instru- 
mental in forming associations of ladies for the in- 
vestigation of the science. 

During this year, the Government of France, 
in its consummate wisdom permitted no lectures 
without its special sanction. As in all cases of a 
similar character, the motive of the Government 
was to prevent the people from inquiring into 
their own nature and condition, and the study of 
Phrenology was confined to limited circles. 

Dr. Spurzheim held private conversations at his 
own house upon the subject, and thus taught it 
for a time ; but this contracted field did not satisfy 
him, and he determined to revisit England. 

He arrived at London in March, 1 825. He com- 
menced a course of eighteen lectures on Phrenol- 
ogy at the Crown and Anchor tavern, on the 
15th March, at 8 o'clock in the evening. He 
delivered another course in the west end of 
the city, at 3 P. M. which began on the 7th of 
April. 

Since his last visit, in 1815, the tone of the pub- 
lic press had materially changed. It was now 
respectful and candid in its allusions, and what 



64 

was still more gratifying, public opinion no longer 
treated the subject with ridicule and neglect. 

The change too, let it be observed, was in the 
state of the public mind, not in the doctrines 
taught ; for Dr. Spurzheim delivered substantially 
the same views as before. 

As we have made some extracts, showing the 
abuses of the press in 1815, it may be interesting 
to contrast them with notices which appeared in 
some of the London periodicals in 1825. 

The Medico-Chirurgical Review (one of the 
best medical journals in Europe) in the April 
number, 1825, contains the following notice: 

' Phrenology. — While we award the meed of 
praise to our distinguished countrymen, (Mr. Bell 
and Mr. Green,) we must not be insensible to the 
genius, talents and acquirements of an illustrious 
foreigner, who, after an absence of more than 
ten years, has again appeared among us. Every 
one knows the illiberal treatment which Dr. 
Spurzheim received in the ' intellectual city ' when 
last in these islands. Time has worked a won- 
derful change in his favor. He has been hailed in 
this metropolis with distinguished marks of re- 
spect and attention ; and he is now lecturing to a 
crowded audience which is daily increasing, and 
which evinces the most intense interest in every 
observation which falls from the Professor's lips. 

' It is evident that Dr. Spurzheim has now di- 
vested Phrenology of almost every particular 



65 

which was capable of being turned into ridicule 
by the ignorant, the fanatical, and the prejudiced 
portions of society. He follows nature step by 
step, founds every principle on the pure basis of 
observation, and demonstrates, what no physiolo- 
gist in his senses can now doubt, that the mani- 
festations of mind depend on the organization of 
matter, and especially the organization of the 
brain and nervous system. To trace the con- 
nexion between structure and function is the work 
of Phrenology, and is practicable only by obser- 
vation and experience. It is on these last grounds 
that he rests, and most firmly convinced are we that 
he is in the right path for unravelling the phys- 
iology of the brain ; or, in other words, the mani- 
festations of the intellectual faculties. We se- 
riously advise an attendance on his lectures, and 
leave the result to the judgment of the auditor.' 

The Lancet, a medical work, in the prelimi- 
nary remarks to Dr. Spurzheim's lectures, (of 
which it gives a full report,) says, ' We have this 
day the satisfaction of introducing to our readers, 
the first of Dr. Spurzheim's excellent lectures on 
the science of Phrenology, a science which by 
far the greater portion of the English public have 
never yet heard mentioned, unless accompanied 
by ridicule, abuse or misrepresentation. Thou- 
sands of individuals will now for the first time, 
have opened to their view, this beautiful and use- 
ful branch of philosophy. 



66 

< We never listened to the addresses of any lec- 
turer, whose language was so characteristic of 
candor and truth ; indeed we are perfectly satisfied, 
and here we are sure we shall be 4 joined by all 
those who have had the pleasure of hearing him.' 

The Globe has the following notice of a dissec- 
tion of the brain by Dr. Spurzheim : — ' Dr. Spurz- 
heim, on Wednesday, dissected the brain, in the 
presence of several of the gentlemen who attend 
his lectures (on Phrenology.) Whatever differ- 
ence of opinion there may be as to Phrenology, 
there can be no doubt, we think, as to the supe- 
riority of the mode of dissection which Drs. Gall 
and Spurzheim have recourse to, over that which 
has been hitherto practised in the anatomical 
schools. According to the old plan of dissecting 
the brain, the operation is commenced by slicing 
off horizontally a portion equal to about half its 
bulk, and containing the most material part of its 
organization. This may be very well when the 
object is merely to discover whether there is effu- 
sion in the ventricles ; but it is quite obvious that 
neither this nor any plan of slicing a soft structure 
with a sharp instrument can show the organiza- 
tion satisfactorily. Dr. Spurzheim follows the 
more rational plan that has been adopted in the 
case of all other parts of the body, viz. tracing the 
course of the fibres. He showed, in the most 
satisfactory manner, the fibrous structure of the 
brain, commencing at the base, the decussation of 



67 

the fibres, and their divergence from the base to 
the several upper and exterior parts, which he 
considers as the several organs of propensities, 
sentiments and intellect. By a comparison of two 
brains, he showed the diversity in the size of the 
folds or organs of the brain externally, and the 
identity of their general arrangement and direc- 
tion in both cases. By a dilatation of the lateral 
ventricles, he showed the manner in which, in hy- 
drocephalic heads, the brain might be distended 
without any destruction of its parts. He attempt- 
ed, we think, with perfect success, to show the 
frivolousness of the objections, drawn from the 
anatomy of the brain, to the foundations of 
the system of Phrenology. It appears that the 
fibres which diverge from the base are continued 
from the outermost part of the brain, but that in 
their course new fibres are added. Where this 
addition takes place, there is uniformly observed 
grey or cineritious matter. In this way the differ- 
ence is accounted for, observable in the color of 
the brain, according to the direction in which it is 
cut, whether across the fibres or in the direction 
of them. The whole exhibition and the explana- 
tions of the professor were highly creditable to 
him, and satisfactory to those who were present. 5 
The students of the London hospitals sub- 
scribed a handsome sum, and paid it as a fee to 
Dr. Spurzheim to teach them his method of dis- 
secting the brain. 



68 

During the years 1825 and 6, Dr. Spurzheim pre- 
pared several works, in English, for the press, 
which were published, in 1826, in London. They 
were entitled, ' Phrenology in connexion with the 
study of Physiognomy, with numerous plates.' 
' Phrenology, or the Doctrine of Mental Phenomena? 
in which he treated of the different powers of the 
mind, and their cerebral organs, in general, with 
plates ; i Philosophical Principles of Phrenology? 
explaining the doctrines of the mind, with its prac- 
tical bearings on religion and morality ; ' Philo- 
sophical Catechism of the Natural haws of Man ;' 
; Anatomy of the Brain, with a general mew of the 
Nervous System? with several highly finished en- 
gravings ; ' Outlines of Phrenology? a text book 
for his classes ; and a work of great value entitled 
i Elementary Principles of Education? 

Some of these works have passed through sev- 
eral editions, and have been deservedly popular. 

< In the works of Spurzheim,' says a foreign 
journal, ' we feel as in a garden ; where all is 
regular and orderly ; where all the different pro- 
ductions of nature are placed in an exact scientific 
arrangement ; where we may study them leisurely 
and at our ease ; and where we may see brought 
together, in a comparatively small space, the pro- 
duct of every zone and of every climate in the 
known world.' 

In the course of the year 1826, Dr. Spurzheim 
visited Cambridge, ' and was received in that seat 



69 

of exact learning with honors seldom bestowed 
before. By the influence of some of the members 
of that eminent body, the most distinguished for 
their characters and talents, permission was 
granted to deliver a course of lectures on Phre- 
nology, in the botanical lecture-room of the Uni- 
versity ; a favor never before conferred on any 
who are not members of the establishment. The 
audience was most respectable, and increased as 
the course advanced ; till, towards the close, it 
amounted to 130, among whom were 57, partly 
professors, partly tutors, and fellows of the differ- 
ent colleges. The attentions to Dr. Spurzheim, 
personally, were most gratifying ; and the impres- 
sion made, not merely by his method of dissecting 
the brain, but by his phrenological doctrines, was 
as complete a refutation of the lame and impotent 
conclusions of the Edinburgh reviewer as candor 
and science could desire.'* 

1 He was feasted in the college-halls ' (says an 
eminent scholar of Cambridge, in a letter to a 
friend in Edinburgh) every day he was here. Our 
anatomical, and, I believe, our medical professors, 
are amongst those most favorably disposed to his 
science. 5 

Early in 1827, he proceeded from Cambridge 
to Bath and Bristol. The managers of the litera- 
ry Institutions there ' declared, that since those 

* Chenevix, and Edinburgh Journal. 



70 

establishments were opened, no lecturer had at- 
tracted so numerous a class.' In Bath, addition- 
al benches were required to accommodate the 
audience. The interest increased with each lec- 
ture, and the last was the most numerously attend- 
ed at both places. 

Dr. Spurzheim, this year, made London his 
permanent place of residence, and took a house in 
Gower street. He commenced a course of lec- 
tures in April, in the London Institution. These 
lectures were unusually popular, and ' not only the 
large lecture room of the Institution, but all the 
stair cases, corridors and passages leading to it, 
were filled with hearers.' 

He possessed a large collection of phrenologi- 
cal specimens, which were open for inspection at 
his house, every Thursday, from 2 to 4 o'clock ; at 
which time he answered any question or objection 
concerning the science. He also lectured at his 
own house ; and on Mondays and Thursdays, in 
the evening, he had practical conversations on 
Phrenology, with an examination of his auditors. 

He left England for the continent, on a visit, 
and remained there until October. 

In December he visited Hull, agreeably to ap- 
pointment. In this place a society had been es- 
tablished for the purpose of investigating the 
science of Phrenology. The learned Dr. Alder- 
ston was, at that time, President. For the par- 
ticular account of Dr. Spurzheim's visit to this 



71 

place, which follows, we are indebted to the Ed- 
inburgh Phrenological Journal, contained in a 
letter from J. L. Levison to the editor. 

6 The Society for Phrenological Inquiry having 
invited Dr. Spurzheim to lecture at Hull, he com- 
menced a demonstrative course on Thursday, 
December 6, to a very good class, which con- 
tinued to increase at every succeeding lecture. 
Those who heard him admired the richness of 
his intellectual stores, which he unostentatiously 
displayed before them, during the course ; and 
this feeling was enhanced by the ease with which 
he initiated the class into the fundamental axioms 
of the science of Phrenology. Although gifted 
with such a philosophic mind, his instructions 
were free from all pedantry, so that " those who 
went to scoff remained to pray ;" to use an alle- 
gorical illustration, he has planted the tree of true 
knowledge, and it has taken deep root ; we ra- 
tionally hope, as it embraces the happiness of our 
species, the sum of human misery and crime may, 
by his teaching, be somewhat lessened or mitiga- 
ted. Indeed, when we reflect on the candor with 
which he discusses the merits of the science, the 
obstacles he points out, and the constant appeal he 
makes to the common judge, Nature ! in verifying 
his assertions, we cannot wonder his instructions 
carry an irresistible conviction to his audience. 

But this disciple of truth still continues to in- 
vestigate human nature, and to observe the causes 



72 

for the infinite variety among them. It may there- 
fore be interesting to the readers of the journal 
to be informed of some of the visits he made to 
public establishments. The first one was to a 
work-house, which, like other places of the kind, 
contains the aged, the insane, the idiot, and the 
children of illicit love. Among the latter there 
were a boy and girl, who were selected by Dr. 
Spurzheim for the extraordinary difference of 
their cerebral organization. The former had the 
frontal and sincipital regions very finely developed, 
giving the stamp of < nature's nobility ' to him ; 
whilst the latter had an organization quite the re- 
verse ; the basilar and occipital regions presented 
a considerable predominance over the frontal and 
sincipital ; the cerebellum was of uncommon size, 
and Dr. S. suggested that great care should be 
taken of her. But on the following day, when we 
went to take the models of these two individuals, 
the house-surgeon informed us, that the girl had 
already indicated a lewdness of manner, although 
she is only jive years old ! Her mother, we were 
told, was a very low and depraved prostitute, and 
her reputed father equally immoral and worthless. 
This is a strong instance, said Dr. S. of the in- 
fluence of propagation manifesting itself in a most 
lamentable manner. 

Another day, Dr. S. devoted to examine the in- 
mates of the Charity Hall, which contains, in men, 
women, and children above four hundred beings. 



73 

The Doctor selected two men, one with l mirth- 
fulness ' very large, and though in rags, his face 
seemed always ' big with humor. 5 The second 
individual had with good moral feelings, the organ 
of ' marvellousness ' very large, and religious 
topics was his constant theme. At every hour of 
the day you might see him with his Bible, endeav- 
oring to find out the spiritual meaning. He told 
Dr. Spurzheim ' he had found the one thing need- 
ful, but he knew not another Christian in the 
house.' In the same place, five or six children 
more particularly struck the Doctor's attention, 
amongst the rest two boys (brothers,) who had the 
occipital and basilar regions very predominant, and 
some of the individual organs in them very large ; 
combativeness, firmness and destructiveness, par- 
ticularly so. On being asked what they would wish 
to be, each answered, ' a butcher ; ' and when fur- 
ther interrogated as to the reason why they made 
such a choice, they replied, < they liked to kill.' 

Dr. Spurzfaeim also visited the ' Refuge for the 
Insane,' attended by the medical gentlemen of 
the establishment, and other individuals. Among 
the patients there were some Dr. S. pointed out 
with imperfect organizations, idiots from birth, fa- 
tuous persons, &c. which may be found in every 
asylum of the kind ; but there were a few which 
the Doctor selected as worth taking casts from, 
being instances of the aberration of the dominant 
feelings. One old woman with marvellousness 

K 



74 

very large ! She fancies herself constantly 
troubled with < devils in the head ; ' she told us, 
that she not only felt them, but frequently saw 
them, as they Jleiv out of her head, and begged 
* some persons ' might exorcise her of these infer- 
nal guests. Another individual, who became in- 
sane from the following circumstances, was one 
peculiarly interesting. He was a captain of a 
small sloop, and had a favorite son on board, who, 
whilst playing on the deck of the vessel, unfor- 
tunately fell overboard. Every means were used 
to save him, but without success. Therefore, to 
obtain the body, he followed the direction of the 
tide as far as Grimsby, where the child was wash- 
ed up, and some individuals attempted to catch 
him with grappling irons. This circumstance so 
pained his philoprogenitiveness, adhesiveness, and 
benevolence, (all which are very large in him,) 
that he plunged into the water with his clothes on, 
and snatched his darling boy from it ; but he was 
cold and covered with mud, death had already 
claimed him J When brought to the shore, he 
placed him on the bank, and wiped the dirt from 
the child's face ; afterwards he had a strong fit, 
and when he recovered from that shock, he soon 
lost his reason. What is remarkable pathologi- 
cally, and in reference to Phrenology, he com- 
plained of violent pain at the posterior part of the 
brain at the seat of philoprogenitiveness, &c. and 
was treated with local applications. He is re- 
covering. 



75 

The last place visited by this great observer of 
our species was the town-gaol, where he inspect- 
ed many prisoners ; but r on entering the felons' 
side, his eye passed rapidly over the great num- 
ber of them, but rested upon two or three indi- 
viduals, whom he inspected with magical rapidity 
and instantaneously seized the peculiarity of their 
characters. This facility was the most surprising ; 
and those who had a great quantity of hair on the 
head, he placed his hand or hands over the four 
regions, and his conclusions proved astonishingly 
correct. 

Among the prisoners there was one for trial* 
a most notorious swindler ; his intellectual organs 
were well developed ; but from the organ of ven- 
eration to self-esteem appeared a most uncommon 
absence of brain ; it resembled a skull with a 
portion sliced off; but the basilar and occipital 
regions, particularly the former, was very broad 
at secretiveness and acquisitiveness. The Doctor 
said of this man, s You cannot believe what he 
says.' The turnkey replied, with an expression 
of surprise at Dr. Spurzheim's sagacity, i that he 
never met a greater liar ; he had told him an un- 
accountable number of lies in less than twenty- 
four hours ; < 1 had intended to ask you what you 
thought of him,' &x. 

Another individual, whom a worthy magistrate, 
that accompanied us, spoke of as one whose look 
and manner would deceive any body, but that he 



76 

was a notorious thief! Dr. S. found him very 
large in imitation, secretiveness, firmness and self- 
esteem. The latter combination induced him to 
make the remark, that this person would always 
be a leader, such individuals would never be sub- 
ordinate ; and this proved to be the fact. He 
had always been the head man in all schemes of 
plunder ; and as a sheep-stealer he was notorious, 
there being presumptive proof that he had stolen 
and killed upwards of two hundred ! I need not 
add that conscientiousness and cautiousness were 
both very defective. The fourth and last was a 
boy who had expressed a wish that he might be 
enabled to commit many robberies, and, after some 
years, to be brought to condign punishment, and, 
when about to be launched into eternity, he might 
hear the crowds below him express with surprise, 

he. 6 that was the celebrated , whose deeds 

were so daring,' &c. Love of approbation, secre- 
tiveness, and imitation, were extremely large in 
him, and the moral region defective. < Should 
his career of crime not be put an end to, he would 
continue the thief; but, from his organization, he 
must be only a subordinate being ; ' ' for,' said 
Dr. S. ' the organs of self-esteem and firmness 
are deficient in him.' 

The Society for Phrenological inquiry give a 
dinner to Dr. Spurzheim, to-morrow, December 
28th. 

I am, Sir, &c. 
Hull, Dec. 27, 1827. J. L. Levison. 



77 

Dr. Spurzheim left Hull for Edinburgh, and 
arrived there in the first week of January, 1828. 

Since his visit to that city, in 1817, a wonderful 
change had taken place in favor of Phrenology. 
A Phrenological Society was formed, February 22, 
1820, by George Combe, Esq. and others, and 
which soon numbered among its members some 
of the most respectable and learned men of Ed- 
inburgh. This society probably has done more 
for Phrenology than any other society in the 
world. It has published its transactions, and has 
contributed mostly to sustain an able and inter- 
esting Phrenological Journal since 1824. It still 
lives in all the vigor and ardor of its youth, and 
promises a continuance of its valuable investiga- 
tions. 

Even the Edinburgh Review, from which we 
quoted a few examples of abuse, had undergone 
a sensible change ; a change from abusive epithets 
to the actual adoption of the doctrines which it 
had ridiculed. 

1 But as far as the Edinburgh Review is con- 
cerned,' says Dr. Spurzheim, 'in reference to our 
anatomical discoveries, and the basis of our phre- 
nological principles, there is an immense change 
from No. 49 to 94. In the latter, there is an ar- 
ticle on the nervous system, where special func- 
tions are ascribed to individual nerves ; where it 
is admitted that ' in the nervous system alone, we 
can trace a gradual progress in the provision for 



, 78 

the subordination of one (animal) to another, and 
of all to man ; and are enabled to associate every 
faculty which gives superiority, with some addi- 
tion to the nervous mass, even from the smallest 
indications of sensation and will, up to the high- 
est degree of sensibility, judgment and expression. 
The brain is observed progressively to be improved 
in its structure, and with reference to the spinal 
marrow and nerves, augmented in volume more 
and more, until we reach the human brain, each 
addition being marked by some addition to, or 
amplification of, the powers of the animal, until 
in man we behold it possessing some parts of 
which animals are destitute, and wanting none 
which theirs possess. 5 (p. 443.) Is not this emi- 
nently phrenological ? 

8 Even within our own time (says the Edinburgh 
Review, No 94.) although many great anatomists 
had devoted themselves almost exclusively to de- 
scribing the brain, this organ used to be demon- 
strated by the greater number of teachers, in a 
manner which, however invariable, was assuredly 
not particularly useful. It was so mechanically 
cut down upon, indeed, as to constitute a sort of 
exhibition with nothing. The teacher and the 
pupil were equally dissatisfied with the perform- 
ance, and the former probably the most. 

The latter soon gave up the painful attempt to 
draw any kind of deductions from what he wit- 
nessed, and disposed of the difficulty as he best 



79 

could, when he had to render an account of what 
he had seen. Up to this day, our memory is 
pained by the recollection of the barbarous names, 
and regular sections of what was then the dullest 
part of anatomical study, which, although often 
repeated, left no trace but of its obscurity or ab- 
surdity. Here an oval space of white color, and 
there a line of grey, or curve of red, were dis- 
played ; here a cineritious, there a medullary mass ; 
here a portion white without, and grey within ; 
there a portion white within, and grey without ; 
here a gland petuitary, there a gland like grains 
of sand ; here a ventricle, there a cul-de-sac, 
with endless fibres, and lines, and globules, and 
simple marks with appellations no less fanciful 
than devoid of meaning.' (p. 447.) 

« Is this not quite the language which Dr. Gall 
and myself used in dissecting the brain to our 
classes ? Why then are our names never men- 
tioned in the article, since we have introduced a 
new and better mode of dissecting the brain ? At all 
events this article is a powerful pleading of the 
phrenological principles, and the Edinburgh Re- 
view is an evident proof that truth must prevail.' 

We find an interesting notice of his lectures in 
Edinburgh, in the 5th volume of the Phrenologi- 
cal Journal, which follows : 

1 He delivered a popular course of lectures on 
Phrenology, which was attended by a large num- 
ber of ladies and gentlemen ; he delivered also a 



80 

separate course on the anatomy, physiology, and 
pathology of the brain, to eighty medical gentle- 
men ; of whom four fifths were students. By solici- 
tation, he repeated his popular lectures. He was 
received with the highest respect, and listened to 
with the deepest interest. His great talents, ex- 
tensive information, and upright and amiable sen- 
timents, carried conviction to every mind capa- 
ble of recognizing those qualities, that Dr. Spurz- 
heim's character and attainments were diametri- 
cally opposite to the representations of them so 
long and so shamefully disseminated by the British 
press. 

A great difference was observable between the 
manner in which his audience listened to his lec- 
tures in 1817 and 1828. On the former occa- 
sion, the authority of the Edinburgh Review was 
paramount, and a smile of incredulity sat on the 
countenances of many of his hearers as their fixed 
impression : they were on the watch . for some- 
thing extravagant, and were disappointed rather 
than gratified by the force of his demonstrations 
and soundness of his arguments. In 1828, his 
auditors yielded readily and cordially to the im- 
pression of his talents ; they listened with the most 
profound attention and sincere respect ; they felt 
his power to enlighten and instruct them, and in 
consequence opened their minds to receive posi- 
tive ideas, and were richly rewarded for doing 
so. 



81 

Dr. Spurzheim was equally successful in his lec- 
tures to the medical students. He succeeded in 
convincing them of a fact, which, in general, they 
are too apt to forget, viz. the general ignorance of 
physiologists of the uses of the different parts of 
the brain, of the real structure of that organ, and 
of the nature and causes of insanity. 

His dissections were minute, and most sedulously 
demonstrated. He said, that he did not pretend 
to convince his auditors that Phrenology is true, — 
that they must go to nature, and learn its truth by 
observation, — but that he hoped he had shown 
enough to satisfy them, that it was of the very high- 
est importance to the medical profession, and that 
no labor which they could bestow on its investiga- 
tion would go unrewarded. The effect of these lec- 
tures was to disabuse the students of the misrepre- 
sentations about Dr. Spurzheim and his doctrines, 
dealt out to them every season by some of their 
teachers, and to enable them to judge for them- 
selves of the truth as well as dignity of the attacks 
which continue to be made, ex cathedra, on Phre- 
nology and phrenologists, and also to enable them 
to prosecute the science for their own satisfaction. 
Dr. M'Intosh and Mr. Syme, with great liberality, 
presented Dr. Spurzheim with the use of their 
excellent Theatre as a lecture-room for the med- 
ical course.' 

During this visit to Edinburgh, Dr. Spurzheim 



82 

had an interesting correspondence with Sir Wil- 
liam Hamilton. 

Sir William had read some papers against Phre- 
nology before the Royal Society, and had made 
statements which, by being erroneously reported, 
led him to write and publish a letter of expla- 
nation, in the Caledonian Mercury. In this letter 
he proposes to Dr. Spurzheim several propositions 
for discussion. In a letter to Dr. A. Combe, dated 
1st May, 1827, Sir William writes thus : « I have 
only to say, that Gall and Spurzheim are the only 
authentic representatives of their own doctrines,' 
and that S Gall and Spurzheim are the only au- 
thors I propose to refute.' When it was deter- 
mined, (in Nov.) that Spurzheim would lecture in 
Edinburgh, George Combe, Esq. wrote to Sir 
William and proposed that he should meet Dr. 
S. on his arrival in January, and proceed with him 
to a final termination of the points in dispute ; but 
Sir William declined this proposal. 

Sir William preferred a private reference to um- 
pires, in place of a public discussion, which was 
demanded by Dr. Spurzheim. Previous to this 
time, we should state, Phrenology had been dis- 
cussed before a private reference by Sir William 
and George Combe, Esq. but in a very unsatisfac- 
tory manner to the Phrenologists. Sir William 
was thought to be extremely deficient in admissible 
proofs and specimens. 

Dr. Spurzheim closes his first letter to the edi- 
tor of the Mercury in the following language : 



83 

4 1 heartily invite Sir William Hamilton to at- 
tend my lectures and witness my demonstrations, 
and then he will prosecute the inquiry with more 
satisfaction to himself, and benefit to Phrenology. 
Meanwhile, I repeat the offer made in Mr. 
Combe's letter of 22d November, to meet him be- 
fore as many judges as he chooses to bring forward, 
to consider all the evidence he may be pleased to 
adduce in support of his assertions, and to an- 
swer his objections.' 

Jan. 23, 1828. 

This invitation was repeated five times, in the 
course of the correspondence, but was not accept- 
ed by Sir William. The fifth note of Dr. Spurz- 
heim was as follows : 

[DR. SPURZHEIM TO SIR WILLIAM HAMILTON.] 

1 Dr. Spurzheim returns compliments to Sir Wil- 
liam Hamilton, and again states, that his published 
doctrines are the results of many years' examina- 
tion, repeated in various countries, and under the 
most different circumstances ; consequently, he 
cannot be satisfied with a mere private explanation, 
which Sir William offers to give. Moreover, Phre- 
nology and its believers, as well as Dr. Spurzheim, 
having been publicly attacked, and publicly ac- 
cused of " credulity and infatuation," and of being, 
" without exception, the most erroneous observers 
recorded in the whole history of science ," the phre- 
nological public, or, as Sir William calls them, 
" the phrenological multitude," or " mob," insist 
upon their right to ask for a public refutation. 



84 

' Dr. Spurzheim repeats, for the fifth time, his 
readiness to meet Sir William Hamilton before the 
public, any day before the 6th of March.' 

Feb. 23. 

This correspondence continued until the 20th 
of March, a short time after Dr. Spurzheim had 
left Edinburgh for Glasgow, but without any satis- 
factory result to either party. Sir William be- 
came angry and abusive, while Spurzheim con- 
tinued calm, and expressed himself with his ha- 
bitual mildness. 

On Friday, 25th January, 1828, the Phrenologi- 
cal Society gave a dinner at Barry's Hotel, Prince's 
Street, in honor of Dr. Spurzheim ; G. Combe, 
Esq. was in the chair, supported by Dr. Spurzheim 
and Sir G. S. Mackenzie on the right, and the 
Hon. D. G. Haliburton, and P. Neill, Esq. on the 
left ; James Simpson, Esq. acting as Vice Presi- 
dent. 

This was a very interesting occasion, and it 
would be gratifying to give the various speeches 
then delivered, but our limits will not permit. We 
shall insert only what has particular reference to 
the subject of our biography. Those who are de- 
sirous of reading the full account, may find it in 
the 5th volume of the Phrenological Journal. 

The following is an extract from the speech of 
Mr. Combe, which is as beautiful as it is just. 

After taking a general view of science and of 
important discoveries, he thus concludes with 
reference to Phrenology. 



85 

{ It is due, gentlemen, to the great founder of 
this science, to his illustrious coadjutor now beside 
me, as well as to you and to truth, to state the 
magnitude of the discovery in these terms, — terms 
not exaggerated and inflated, but too cold and fee- 
ble to do justice to so mighty a subject. 

1 need not recount to you the merits of Dr. 
Spurzheim, they are written indelibly in the histo- 
ry of the science ; to him are we indebted for in- 
troducing Phrenology into the British isles ; to his 
courage and perseverance do we owe the progress 
which it has made amongst us, and that it has 
withstood the critic's argument, the satirist's ridi- 
cule, and all the calumnies and misrepresentations 
which have been heaped on the cause itself and 
its defenders. Dr. Spurzheim, gentlemen, has en- 
riched our science with the most valuable anatom- 
ical discoveries ; he has established several highly 
important organs in addition to those pointed out 
by JDr. Gall ; he has infused philosophy and sys- 
tem into the facts brought to light by observation ; 
and, above all, he has dedicated his life to the best 
interests of mankind by teaching them those splen- 
did and useful truths. 

' I have often said, and take pleasure in repeat- 
ing, that I owe every thing I possess in this science 
to him ; his lectures first fixed my wandering con- 
ceptions, and directed them to the true study of 
man ; his personal kindness first encouraged me to 
prosecute the study thus opened up ; and his unin- 



36 

terrupted friendship has been continued with me 
since, communicating every new idea that occur- 
red, and helping me in difficulties which embar- 
rassed my progress. It is eleven years this very 
month, since, by the kindness of Mr. Brownlee, I 
was first introduced to Dr. Spurzheim; and I 
speak literally, and in sincerity, when I say, that 
were I at this moment offered the wealth of India 
on condition of Phrenology being blotted from my 
mind forever, I would scorn the gift ; nay, were 
every thing I possessed in the world placed in one 
hand, and Phrenology in the other, and orders is- 
sued for me to choose one, Phrenology, without a 
moment's hesitation, would be preferred. In 
speaking thus, I am sure that 1 express not my 
own sentiments alone, but, in a greater or less de- 
gree, those of every other individual now present, 
according to his practical acquaintance with the 
science. The highest tribute therefore is due to 
Dr. Spurzheim, and it is delightful to pay it. Our 
meeting is a proof of the sagacity with which he 
uttered a prediction respecting this city eleven 
years ago, when the tide of ridicule was at its 
height ; he then said, that in Edinburgh would the 
science first flourish : and our presence this day is 
the fulfilment of his prediction. 

' On a former occasion, 1 have said, how w T ould 
we rejoice to sit at the table with Galileo, Harvey, 
or Newton, and to pay them the homage of our 
gratitude and respect, and yet we have the felici- 



87 

ty to be now in company with an individual whose 
name will rival theirs in brilliancy and duration ; 
to whom ages unborn will look with fond admira- 
tion, as the first great champion of this magnificent 
discovery ; as the partner in honor, in courage, 
and in toil, with Dr. Gall ; as the rival in genius 
of him by whose master-mind the science of man 
started into existence. Dr. Spurzheim, gentle- 
men, is an historical personage ; a glory dwells 
on that brow which will never wax dim, and which 
will one day illuminate the civilized world {great 
applause). His greatness is all moral and intellec- 
tual. Like the sun of a long and resplendent day, 
Dr. Spurzheim at his rising was obscured by the 
mists of prejudice and envy ; but in ascending, he 
has looked down upon and dispelled them. 

His reputation has become brighter and bright- 
er as men have gazed upon and scrutinized his 
doctrines and his life. No violence and no an- 
guish tarnish the laurels that flourish on his brow. 
The recollection of his labors are all elevating and 
ennobling ; and in our applause he hears not the 
voice of a vain adulation, but a feeble overture to 
a grand strain of admiration, which a grateful 
posterity will one day sound to his name. 

Let us drink — " Long life, health, and pros- 
perity to Dr. Spurzheim." {Drank with all the 
honors, and immense applause.) 

Dr. Spurzheim rose and said : 

< Mr. Chairman, Gentlemen : I never felt so 



88 



much as at this moment the want of mental powers 
necessary to express the gratification and gratitude 
I feel. This day is for me a day of joy which I 
never hoped to see. My joy would be complete 
were Dr. Gall amongst us. (Loud cheers.) The 
ideas crowd upon me, and I scarcely know what 
to say. I heartily thank you, in the name of Dr. 
Gall, and in mine, for the honor you have done us 
in drinking our healths. I, in particular, thank 
you for the distinguished reception you have giv- 
en me on this occasion. Dr. Gall and myself often 
conversed together about the future admission of 
our doctrines. Though we relied with confidence 
on the invariable laws of the Creator, we, howev- 
er, never expected to see them in our life time ad- 
mitted to such a degree as they really are. I of- 
ten placed my consolation in man, being mortal, or 
in future generations, to whom it is generally re- 
served to take up new discoveries ; but we are 
more fortunate. 

Gentlemen, I repeat my thanks for the present 
eT joyment ; it is a great reward for my former 
labors, and will be a great encouragement to my 
future pursuits.' 

Dr. Spurzheim proposed the following toast : — 
Mr. Chairman, Gentlemen, We drank the health of 
the Phrenological Society in general, and, certain- 
ly, men of talent and science being united, can do 
infinitely more than single individuals for the 
propagation of a science. I also admit that those 



89 



who came the last, as well as those who were the 
first, in exerting themselves to forward Phrenol- 
ogy, may have equal merit with respect to the 
effect of their labors. I even grant, that those 
who join later may contribute most to the aim of 
the Society ; yet 1 beg permission to propose 
health and prosperity to those who first united and 
invited others to associate in the investigation 
of Phrenology. They did so at a time (eight 
years ago) when moral courage was necessary 
to declare in favor of our science, assailed from all 
sides by foes of great influence in public opin- 
ion. I propose the health and happiness of the 
founders of the Phrenological Society, — Rev. Da- 
vid Welsh, George Combe, Dr. Andrew Combe, 
Mr. Brownlee, William Waddell and Lindsey Mac- 
kersey.' 

To this sentiment, the several gentlemen alluded 
to, made handsome and appropriate replies. With 
all the honors, the Vice President, Mr. Simpson, in 
a most respectful and complimentary manner, pro- 
posed the health of Mrs. Spurzheim, and female 
Phrenologists ; (great applause) upon w T hich Dr. 
Spurzheim rose and said : 

' Mr. Chairman, Gentlemen : As Mrs. Spurz- 
heim had the honor to be named, and placed at 
the head of the females, who study Phrenology, 
I think it encumbent on me to thank you in her 
name, and in the name of the other ladies, for 
your polite attention. There can be no doubt 



90 

among Phrenologists that the minds of ladies, as 
well as ours, should be cultivated, to fit them for 
their social relations and duties. With respect to 
Phrenology in particular, I am convinced that 
among an equal number of ladies and gentlemen, 
a greater number of the former are fitted to be- 
come practical Phrenologists ; that is, to become 
able to distinguish the different forms and sizes 
of the head in general, and of its parts in par- 
ticular. The reason seems to be, because girls 
and women, from the earliest age," exercise the 
intellectual powers of Configuration and Size more 
than boys and men, in their daily occupations. 

' You may daily observe, that boys resemble 
rather their mother than their father in mental dis- 
positions ; and it is known that great men gene- 
rally descend from intelligent mothers. 

1 It is not necessary for me to speak of the great 
influence that mothers have on the education of 
their children, because several of you have al- 
ready done justice to them. It is also evident 
that ladies may greatly contribute to the diffusion 
of Phrenology in society, and may make frequent 
use of it in practical life. But if ladies do render 
service to Phrenology, this science will also be of 
great advantage to them ; and I may say, of the 
greatest advantage after Christianity.' 

On the 19th of February, Dr. Spurzheim visited 
the City Lunatic Asylum, and the Hospital for the 
Children of Paupers, accompanied by Dr. Hunter, 



91 

the surgeon of the establishment, the Hon. Mr. 
Haliburton, Dr. Combe, and some other gentle- 
men. A few particulars of this visit we copy 
from the Phrenological Journal. 

6 Dr. Hunter, and some of the other gentlemen, 
who were not Phrenologists, expected that Dr. 
Spurzheim would be able, from the mere examina- 
tion of the heads of the patients in the Asylum, 
to predicate the precise kind of insanity under 
which they labored. This, Dr. S. stated, was not 
his object. .He could not, a priori, determine 
the nature of the disease, but if informed of it, it 
would be found that the cerebral organization, 
connected with the deranged faculties, was gen- 
erally largely developed. 

' After this explanation, a female patient was 
pointed out who was insane from jealousy of 
her husband. Her manifestations were attended 
with violence and rage. Dr. S. pointed out the 
great size of the lower part of the middle lobe of 
the brain in the region of Deslructiveness. This 
was strikingly apparent. Another woman saw 
ghosts ancl spectres. In her, the organ of Mar- 
t'dlousness was remarkably developed. Dr. S. 
asked her if she ever complained of a headache, 
she answered she did ; and being requested to put 
her hand upon that part of the head where she 
felt the pain, she did so on the very spot where the 
above organ is situated. 

This individual had also Cautiousness consider- 



92 

ably developed, and Wit and Gaiety small. Her 
prevailing feelings were those of a depressing 
kind, and these she expressed on this occasion. 

1 A female who sat opposite to her, was a perfect 
contrast, and her development was in precise ac- 
cordance. 

« In a female idiot, the propensity to destroy was 
very great and incurable. Destructiveness was 
largely developed. 

' Among the patients, was an individual who 
had made repeated attempts to destroy himself. 
Dr. S. remarked, that in all such individuals, how- 
ever the brain might otherwise be developed, it 
was almost invariably found that the organ of 
Hope was small, — and such it was in this patient. 

1 The Children's Hospital was next visited. 
The mistress was requested to bring two or three 
of the best and worst behaved boys and girls ; 
but without, of course, informing Dr. S. of their 
manifestations. She was also requested to bring 
some of the cleanest and most orderly, and 
those whose characters were of an opposite de- 
scription. The children were then ranged in or- 
der, and, without the least difficulty, Dr. S. deter- 
mined at once which were their respective mani- 
festations. The discrimination, however, evinced 
by Dr. S. was still more minute. The mistress 
had selected three girls as being the best behaved 
in the Hospital ; Dr. S. not only fixed upon them 
as being the best, compared to those with whom 



93 

they were contrasted, but remarked, that of the 
three, their mistress would find more difficulty in 
managing one of them than the other two. This 
upon inquiry was found perfectly correct. 

' The curiosity of the children having been ex- 
cited by this visit and the object of it, they fol- 
lowed the gentlemen as they retired. Dr. S. 
whose affectionate attachment to children is very 
remarkable, gathered them round him, and took 
occasion to remark the very great contrast exhib- 
ited by the heads of those children whose parents 
are in general of the very lowest ranks of life, as 
compared with the heads of the children of the 
higher classes. Though here and there was an 
exception, the heads were in general very low, 
— narrow in the frontal and sincipital regions. 
Let any one try, said Dr. Spurzheim, by educa- 
tion, if the mind at birth is a sheet of blank pa- 
per, to make Bacons and Newtons of such chil- 
dren.' 

In March, Dr. Spurzheim proceeded to Glas- 
gow, agreeably to previous engagement ; where 
he delivered a popular course of lectures on Phre- 
nology to a large audience of ladies and gentle- 
men, and another of a professional character, 
attended by sixty medical practitioners and other 
individuals. These lectures were received with 
great satisfaction. 

Both in Edinburgh and Glasgow, Dr. Spurzheim 
and his lady, who accompanied him, were re- 



94 

eeived in private society in the most cordial and 
attentive manner by persons of the first respecta- 
bility. Dr. Spurzheim received invitations to 
visit Bath and Bristol again this year, but was 
obliged to decline on account of other engage- 
ments. We are unable to find an account of his 
lectures and visits for the remainder of this year, 
and we pass to the year 1829. 

During this year he lectured at Derby, Notting- 
ham, Sheffield, Wakefield, Leeds, Manchester, 
Liverpool and several other places, and was 
received with great respect and honored with 
highly intelligent audiences. 

He lectured at Liverpool, in May, and in June a 
Phrenological Society was formed in that city. ' Its 
objects were stated to be, Ho hear papers and dis- 
cuss questions connected with Phrenology, to hold 
correspondence with other societies, and especially 
to collect facts and views that may improve and 
enlarge the boundaries of the science.' The fol- 
lowing account of Dr. Spurzheim's visits in that 
city was communicated to the Phrenological Jour- 
nal, by a member of the Society. 

' Whilst lecturing at Liverpool, Dr. Spurzheim 
visited Kirkdale House of Correction, in company 
with several amateurs of his science. After pass- 
ing through the prison, and examining the heads 
of various of its inmates, he was introduced into 
the Court-house, and his attention directed to a 
female standing in a room. The Doctor instantly 



95 

exclaimed, ' Why, you have a man's, not a wo- 
man's head !' and pointed out the great deficiency 
of Benevolence and the love of offspring, combined 
with a large development of Firmness and De- 
structiveness. 

■ After the Doctor had given his opinion, he was 
told that the female then before him was the 
mother who had exposed her child on the North 
Shore ! Several highly respectable inhabitants of 
this place were present, and can verify this state- 
ment. 

1 Dr. Spurzheim also visited many of the public 
schools, and was singularly felicitous in his dis- 
criminations of the character of those individuals 
marked by any peculiarity of disposition or tal- 
ent.' 

1 At an infant school, in Duncan Street East, 
he gave so favorable an opinion of one girl, his 
remarks being also confirmed by the matron and 
ladies who attended the school, that a gentleman 
present engaged to take her into his house for a 
year on trial.' 

1 Whilst lecturing at Manchester,' says Spurz- 
heim in a note, ' in October, several gentlemen, 
among them one of the first magistrates, went with 
me through the prison. Amongst various crimi- 
nals whom we examined, a female, condemned to 
fourteen years transportation, was presented to us. 
Her organ of acquisitiveness was large, but those 
of cautiousness and conscientiousness were small. 



96 

At the same time 1 perceived the organs of vener- 
ation and marvellousness large, directed the atten- 
tion of the gentlemen who were with me to this 
contradiction of dispositions, and manifested the 
wish to be informed about her devotional conduct. 
We then learned that her behavior in the chapel 
was exemplary, and that on the preceding Sunday 
she had been rewarded for it by the chaplain with 
a prayer book.' 

During the winter of 1830, Dr. Spurzheim did 
not lecture, owing to the death of his wife. 

His attachment to his wife was strong, deep, 
and sincere, and her death was to him a dispensa- 
tion of great sorrow. 

While in this country, although constantly at- 
tended both in health and in sickness, by persons 
who had become his devoted friends, he frequently 
* mourned the loneliness of his situation, par- 
ticularly when indisposition, or fatigue, made him 
long after those small services of domestic affec- 
tion and ever watchful care, of which those who 
devote themselves wholly to one of the great 
general interests of mankind, be it the cause of 
religion or of science, stand in special need — that 
wholesome atmosphere of constant love, the 
absence of which seems to be felt more pain- 
fully the more unconscious we are while we 
inhale it. 5 

* ' The disease of his heart he ascribed to the 

* Prof. Follen. 



97 

loss of her, saying, his pulse had intermitted ever 
since her death. 

c The death of his wife seemed to remind him 
more strongly that his life and his labors belonged 
to all mankind, whose vital interests he thought 
most effectually to promote by developing particu- 
larly the principles of education, morality, and reli- 
gion, to which his studies of human nature had led 
him.' 

It has been thought by some, that he visited 
America in consequence of the death of his 
wife. But this is not correct, as we are in- 
formed by an article in the London Lancet, by 
Marquis Moscati, of which the following is an ex- 
tract. 

' It is not right to say that Dr. Spurzheim left 
Europe in consequence of the death of his wife. 
I saw him and spoke to him in Paris after that 
melancholy event, but he mentioned it as a philos- 
opher and a Christian, and appeared to me to be 
perfectly at ease, and quite satisfied with the 
decree of Providence. The propagation of Phre- 
nology was, in my opinion, the true object of his 
visit to America. 5 

In compliance with an invitation from the Phre- 
nological Society of Dublin, Dr. Spurzheim gave 
a course of lectures in that city in April, 1830. 
The Dublin Phrenological Society was formed in 
1829, at the close of a course of lectures deliv- 
ered in that place by George Combe, Esq. 

N 



98 

The subject of Phrenology excited great inter- 
est, and some of the most learned professors of 
Dublin ardently engaged in the study of the 
science. 

The following is an extract from an article 
which appeared in the * Dublin Evening Mail ' of 
April 12th, in relation to this course : 

' The class consists of over two hundred persons 
of the very first rank and respectability of both 
sexes ; and when we state that some dignitaries, 
and many distinguished ministers of the established 
church, the leading members of the learned pro- 
fessions, and those amongst us remarkable for lit- 
erary or scientific pursuits, are daily to be found 
in his lecture-room, the most pleased, and cer- 
tainly the most attentive audience we ever wit- 
nessed in Ireland, perhaps we shall have pro- 
nounced the best panegyric upon the matter of 
which these lectures are composed, and upon the 
manner in which they are delivered.' 

The following extract is from an article pub- 
lished in c The Star of Brunswick,' May 1st. It is 
interesting for the reason that previous to this 
time, it had been a violent and clamorous oppo- 
nent. 

6 Spurzheim, who first gave the science a con- 
sistent shape and stability, is a philosopher in 
every respect adequate to the task he has under- 
taken. With an originality and power of intellect 
able to conceive and methodise his conceptions, 



99 

he joins the most accurate physiological knowl- 
edge and practical skill in that part of the human 
frame which, in all theories of mind, is admitted 
to be the seat of thought. He has likewise 
brought to his aid the resources of a mind 
well stored with philosophy, and with a power 
of arrangement that throws light upon every sub- 
ject. Under such circumstances, it is not won- 
derful, that his course of lectures should attract 
the attention of the curious and thinking part 
of the public, and we have no hesitation in say- 
ing, that, after the professor's present visit to 
the city, Phrenology may be considered as an 
established doctrine. 

' The members of the medical profession have 
induced Dr. Spurzheim to give a course of lec- 
tures on the anatomy, physiology, and pathology 
of the brain, at the school of anatomy, medicine, 
and surgery, in Park Street ; and, if any testimony 
were wanting of Dr. Spurzheim's talents and qual- 
ifications, even putting his extraordinary power as 
a phrenologist out of the question, it would be 
found in this honorable testimony paid to his 
scientific skill and his powerful abilities, by the 
Professors of the first School of Surgery, now in 
Europe.' 

While in Dublin, Dr. Spurzheim was elected 
an honorary member of the Royal Irish Academy. 
In the course of the remainder of this year, 1 830, 
he lectured at Belfast and Liverpool. 



100 

In January and February, 1831, he again visited 
Bath and Derby, where he lectured with great 
effect. In April following, he again visited Dub- 
lin, and was received with distinguished attention. 
The Dublin Evening Post, after stating that this 
was probably the last occasion on which Dr. 
Spurzheim would lecture in that city, concludes 
in the following language : 

4 This science, (Phrenology,) though so long a 
subject of ridicule and contumely, is now estab- 
lished on a basis that stands as little chance of 
being shaken, as the foundation of the other de- 
partments of natural philosophy ; and among them 
competent judges assert there is not one of more 
value to society than Phrenology. Even its oppo- 
nents admit, that, if they could be satisfied of its 
truth, they would not deny its paramount impor- 
tance. The lectures of Dr. Spurzheim will prob- 
ably remove all remaining skepticism, in this city, 
upon this point.' 

After completing his course of lectures in Dub- 
lin, Dr. Spurzheim left for France. He proceeded 
directly to Paris, his favorite city and adopted 
home. 

A Phrenological Society was formed in Paris, 
14th January, 1831. The object of this society, 
as stated in its own prospectus, is to propagate 
and improve the doctrines of Phrenology. The 
society publishes a journal, 6 offers prizes, and 
bestows medals of encouragement.' 



101 

' The society has a council of management, 
composed as follows : a cabinet council ; a com- 
mittee for editing the journal, a committee of 
funds. 

1 The cabinet council consists of a president, 
two vice-presidents, a general secretary, two secre- 
taries for the minutes (proces verbaux,) a treas- 
urer, and a keeper of the museum (materiel) of 
the society.' 

' On the 22d of August every year, the anniver- 
sary of the death of Gall, the society hold a gen- 
eral public meeting, in which the general secre- 
tary gives an account of the labors of the society, 
reads notices of the members which it has lost, 
and proclaims the names of those whom it has 
honored, announcing the prizes which it pro- 
poses to bestow. 

' The society have tickets (jetons) of presence, 
bearing the portrait of Gall ; and on the reverse, 
the title and year of the foundation of the soci- 
ety, with this motto — Aux Progres Des humi- 
eres. 

4 The journal is published monthly. Its con- 
tents to be, 1. An analysis of the proceedings of 
the meetings ; 2. Memoirs and other papers which 
the society shall resolve to publish ; 3. Articles 
sent for the journal ; 4. A bibliographical bulletin. 
M. Dannecy was elected president, and Casimir 
Broussais, general secretary. 

This society, within the first year of its exist- 



102 

ence, consisted of one hundred and ten members, 
sixty of v\ horn were physicians. Its members are of 
the highest respectability in Medicine, Philosophy, 
and Law, with some of both Chambers of the 
Legislature. Among the members are found, 
Andral, Professor in the Faculty of Medicine of 
Paris ; Blondeau, Dean of the Faculty of Law of 
Paris ; Broussais, Professor in the Faculty of Med- 
icine, and Chief Physician of the Val-de-Grace ; 
Cadet, Mayor of the Fourth Arrondissement ; Car- 
tier, Civil Engineer ; Cloquet, (Jules) Professor 
of the Faculty of Medicine of Paris, and Surgeon 
to the Hospital of St. Louis ; David, Sculptor, 
and member of the Institute ; Falret, Physician to 
the Salpetriere ; Ferrus, Physician to the Bicetre ; 
Focillon, Assistant Physician to the Invalids ; Jul- 
lien, Editor of the Revue Encyclopedique ; Lacoste, 
King's Counsel ; Lenoble, Head of the Depart- 
ment of Public Instruction ; Lucas, Inspector- 
General of the Houses of Detention in France ; 
Moreau, Inspector of the Prisons of Paris ; Pinel, 
Physician ; Poncellet, Professor in the Faculty of 
Law at Paris ; Rostan, Physician to the Salpe- 
triere ; Sanson, Surgeon to the Hotel Dieu, 
&c. &c. 

6 As the public in general,' says the Edinburgh 
Journal, * in this country, have rejected Phrenol- 
ogy on the authority of men of established repu- 
tation, we exhibit this list of names as authority on 
the opposite side ; and maintain that they are en- 



103 

titled to at least as great consideration through- 
out Europe as those of the most distinguished op- 
ponents of our science.' 

On the 20th of June, 1832, Dr. Spurzheim sailed 
from Havre for the United States, and arrived at 
New York on the 4th of August. 

The object of his visit to this country, was of a 
twofold character. 1st. To study the genius 
and character of our nation, and 2d, to propagate 
the doctrines of Phrenology. He had a great 
desire to visit the various tribes of Indians, and to 
examine the mental and physical condition of the 
slaves at the South. 

Phrenology, it may with truth be said, was a new 
subject in the United States, and so far as it had 
become known to the people, was perverted and 
misunderstood. It is true, societies had been 
formed in Philadelphia and in Washington, and 
lectures had been delivered by Dr. Caldwell, of 
Kentucky ; but these efforts were insufficient to 
counteract the influence of the foreign reviewers. 
Although these reviewers were actuated by feel- 
ings of unexampled hostility, and evinced a disre- 
gard for truth, yet their assertions were received by 
the literati of this country as facts, and their rea- 
soning as true philosophy. Not that our professors 
examined the science of Phrenology to ascertain 
its claims, or to detect its absurdities ; for very 
few assumed the task, or expended the pains, 
but that they received unreservedly the vetos of 



104 

foreign critics and responded to their tone and 
principles. We fear that this mode of proceeding 
is true with respect to more subjects than one, 
and that the views of foreign writers pass current 
with less scrutiny than the opinions of our own. 
However this may be, some of the people of this 
country were ignorant that such a science as 
Phrenology existed, some had heard of it, and 
most of those who had even a smattering knowl- 
edge of its principles, had no desire for further in- 
vestigation. Its friends were looked upon as fan- 
ciful theorists, and the conductors of periodicals, 
from a four and sixpenny print to a dignified re- 
view, considered all articles in its favor as inadmis- 
nble, and never made allusions to its pretensions 
without a sneer or a joke of foreign fabrication. 

In this state of things, a master-hand was wanted 
to combat the prejudices of the people and to un- 
deceive the learned. If there were one man more 
capable than all others in the world, to set forth the 
claims of this interesting science, and to defend it, 
that man was Spurzheim. With a desire to increase 
his own knowledge, and moved by that noblest 
motive of human action, to do good to his fellow- 
men, he resolved to visit America. 

6 On board the ship, he proved himself a friend 
in need to a number of poor emigrants, many of 
whom being taken sick on their passage, experi- 
enced his kind and successful medical assistance.'* 



Professor Follen. 



105 

In a letter which he received from a lady in 
Paris, speaking of the poor emigrants, she says — 
' That yen, my dear friend, have rendered yourself 
on board the vessel so useful by your talent as a 
physician, ought to reconcile you to the medi- 
cal science. Many of these poor men would 
perhaps have perished without your aid ; and the 
fact that all were saved, is for you no small 
blessing.' 

He remained in New York until the 11th of 
August, when he left for New Haven and arrived 
there on the evening of the same day. It was 
commencement week at Yale College. ' He was 
much interested in the public exercises, the whole 
of which he attended, and it was easy to read in 
his expressive features the impressions made upon 
his mind by the different speakers ; it was obvious 
that he understood every thing he heard. In the 
evening of the commencement day he attended 
the annual meeting of the Society of the Alumni, 
and listened attentively to their discussions. 

4 He dissected the brain of a child that had died 
of hydrocephalus, and gave great satisfaction to 
the medical gentlemen present, by the unexampled 
skill and the perfectly novel manner in which he 
performed the dissection.'* 

On the 16th of August he proceeded to Hartford. 
At this place he visited with deep interest the Asy- 
lum for the Deaf and Dumb, and the Retreat for 

* Professor Silliman. 



106 

the Insane. He also visited the State Prison at 
Weathcrsfield, near Hartford. 

We find the following remark in his Journal 
respecting one of the prisoners confined at that 
place : 

' One Johnson, a negro, had great facility for 
learning to read and write. The chaplain hopes, 
but 1 fear for him. He has individuality, eventu- 
ality and language large ; but the sincipital region 
small.'* 

He arrived at Boston on the evening of the 20th 
of August, and took lodgings at the Exchange 
Coffee House. On the next morning he engaged 
rooms at Mrs. Le Kain's, Pearl Street, at which 
place he remained till his death. 

His arrival was announced in the public journals, 
and curiosity was soon awake to see a man whose 
fame had so long preceded him, and who had 
attracted the attention of the whole civilized world. 
The rich and the learned soon paid him their 
respects, as due to a distinguished stranger, and a 
course of polite engagements was at once com- 
menced. 



* On the night of April 30th, a Mr. Hoskins, one of the prison guards 
at Weathersfield, was murdered by four convicts, under the most appall- 
ing circumstances.' Hartford paper. These convicts made an attempt to 
escape, and the murder was a part of their plan. It is a remarkable cir- 
cumstance that the judgment of Spurzheim should be so soon verified, 
and that this same Johnson should happen to be one of the four ! They 
declared, however, that it was not. their intention to have killed Hoskins, 
but only to have disabled him. 



107 

The first time that he appeared before an audi- 
ence in this country, was at a meeting of the 
American Institute, in the Representatives Hall. 
He delivered, at the request of that literary institu- 
tion, a lecture on Education.* 

When it was known that Dr. Spurzheim was to 
speak, there was a general interest excited, all had 
a desire to hear him, and the occasion brought to- 
gether a large and most respectable audience of 
ladies and gentlemen. He delivered his lecture 
without notes (as he always did) and was listened 
to with profound attention. The audience seemed 
to be perfectly delighted ; his views of education, 
though new and differing from our own, met with 
a general response, and we heard nothing but 
remarks of commendation. 

On the 17th of September, he commenced a 
course of eighteen lectures on Phrenology, at the 
Athenaeum Hall in Boston, and soon after another 
course at the University, Cambridge. These 
lectures occupied six evenings in the week. He 
delivered, besides, in the afternoon of every other 
day, a course of five lectures before the Medical 
Faculty and other professional gentlemen of Bos- 
ton, on the Anatomy of the Brain. His lectures, 
both in Boston and at the University, excited great 

* The Institute meets annually, and continues its meetings for several 
successive days, for the purpose of hearing lectures on subjects connected 
with education. It is composed chiefly of instructers and professional 
men, from various parts of the United States, and the character of its lite- 
ary performances has been generally of a high order. 



108 

and lively interest : they attracted alike the fash- 
ionable and the learned, the gay and the grave, 
the aged and the young, the skeptic and the Chris- 
tian. Our most eminent men, as well as humble 
citizens, were early at the Hall to secure eligible 
seats ; and they were alike profoundly silent and 
attentive to the eloquence and philosophy of the 
lecturer. Whether conviction or doubt followed 
his words in the minds of his hearers, all uniformly 
yielded to thoughts and feelings of admiration. 
The simplicity of his views, his unaffected and 
amiable manners, his strict adherence to facts and 
candid discussion of doctrines, all bespoke the 
Christian and the philosopher. Some of those 
who at first attended with a view to collect mate- 
rials for amusement, or for ridicule, were among 
the earliest to become converts to his system ; and 
among those of his most constant and devoted 
auditors, were some of our most respectable and 
intelligent ladies. 

During the day-time, Dr. Spurzheim was mostly 
engaged in visiting the various institutions of our 
city, and in the vicinity, and returning the calls 
of his friends. In his visits to our prisons and 
institutions of beneficence, he uniformly discovered 
great interest for the welfare of man by his obser- 
vations and inquiries with respect to all the de- 
tails of discipline, peculiarities and results. 

On invitation from President Quincy, he was 
present at the exercises of Harvard University, 



109 

on Commencement day, and attended those of 
the Phi Beta Kappa Society on the day following. 

His visits to our institutions were generally 
made in haste, as it was his intention at a time of 
more leisure to revisit them. We cannot but 
regret that it so happened, as his deliberate and 
explicit judgment upon character and the natural 
dispositions of our children would have afforded 
us a clearer view of the practical importance of 
his system. It was astonishing to see with what 
facility he could point out among the schol- 
ars of a school, those who were remarkable for 
any superiority or deficiency. His quick and 
penetrating eye seemed to read the very thoughts 
and feelings of those around him, and his remarks 
which immediately followed, showed his entire 
confidence in the truth of his science and the 
certainty of his decisions. He discovered no so- 
licitude in making known his opinions, but gen- 
erally expressed them without even asking whether 
they were right or wrong. He had been too 
strict an observer of human nature not to be ac- 
quainted with the extent of his own discrimina- 
ting powers, and his conclusions invariably proved 
that there was no cause for any apprehension of 
a failure, 

The following account of Dr. Spurzheim's visit 
to the Monitorial school, is extracted from a 
paper read before the Boston Phrenological So- 
ciety, by Mr. William B. Fowle. 



110 

c Soon after the commencement of Dr. Spurz- 
heim's lectures in Boston, understanding that 
some peculiarities of my school had led him to '* 
express a wish to visit it, I desired a gentleman 
to invite him to visit the school whenever he 
pleased. He came, October 3d, accompanied by 
the gentleman before mentioned. It had been 
previously hinted to the pupils that Dr. S. would 
visit the school, and they having imbibed the 
notion that he could see farther than their teacher, 
were by no means at ease, when a very tall, stout 
man, with an exterior rather forbidding to chil- 
dren, was introduced. The first impression upon 
the minds of the pupils was unfavorable, but the 
countenance of the Doctor, which expressed the 
delight he felt at the sight of so many interesting 
subjects for the exercise of his skill, soon removed 
all apprehension. 

The children were engaged at their desks in 
a variety of exercises, and I requested him to 
walk freely among them, remarking that he prob- 
ably did not wish to see any exhibition of their 
acquirements. This, 1 said, because I wished 
him, if he gave any opinions, to do it while, en- 
tirely unacquainted with the points of excellence 
which would naturally be developed by any ex- 
hibition. 

I had just corrected some pieces of composition, 
and I remarked to him that one short piece 
seemed to have such a phrenological bearing, that 



Ill 

it might amuse him. He read it, and said he 
should like to see the child that wrote it. I told 
him where she sat, and we carelessly walked in 
that direction. Before we reached her, ' Ah,' 
said he, ' caution.' ' Ask her,' said he, ' whether 
she ever heard any discussion upon the points 
touched in her theme : ' I asked the question, 
and she, blushing deeply, replied, that she never 
had heard any one speak on the subject. ' Well, 
my dear,' said he, c you have not given your own 
opinion ; to which side of the question do you in- 
cline ? She hesitated, and he turned to me and 
said, ' Caution will take time to consider.' She 
then gave her opinion with great modesty, and it 
happened to favor his view of the subject. 6 A 
fine head,' said he to me, ' a fine head. What 
conscientiousness ! and then what firmness ! A 
fine model of what a female head should be.' 

Caution is characteristic of this young female, 
who was then about fourteen years old. She is 
almost timid. Her talents are not so brilliant as 
those of some other pupils, but her perseverance 
which I take to be the product of her firmness, 
has always enabled her to rise above common 
pupils, and to rank with the best. With a perfect 
knowledge of her character, having had her under 
my care seven years, I could not have described 
her peculiar excellences as readily as he did. 

As we turned to proceed back to my desk, he 
laid his hand upon the head of a little girl about 



112 

five years old. ' Fun, fan,' said he, and laughed. 
' Courage too,' said he, ' look out for her pranks.' 
The child had only been my pupil three or four 
days, but she had already exhibited symptoms of 
insubordination. A few months more experience 
proved her playful to excess, and so courageous 
in the pursuit of fun, that she disregarded the re- 
straints I usually impose upon insubordination and 
inattention. 

The Doctor's attention was called to a child 
about ten years of age, to whom I had found it 
almost impossible to communicate instruction of 
any kind, and who seemed to have no memory. 
He playfully touched her head, and said there 
was no deficiency of external development, but 
he should think her mental powers sluggish. She 
will never commit any thing to memory, said he, 
but will perhaps learn something from those 
around her. 1 then told him her case, but he did 
not modify his opinion as to the external develop- 
ment. I thought this a paradox, but I was after- 
wards informed that the intellect was bright, until 
the age of three or four years, when a dangerous 
humor on the head was checked by powerful ap- 
plications, which seriously affected the activity of 
the mind. He recommended exercise and almost 
exclusive attention to her physical education. 

He next cast his eye upon one of the group 
that surrounded him, and said she had Form to a 
great degree. O, said he, if she would only cul- 



113 

tivate this power, what could she not do ? But,' 
added he to me, ' she probably never will. Her 
constitution is bad — too lymphatic. She lacks ener- 
gy, and nothing but frequent and powerful exercise 
will ever reform her temperament. O,' said he 
again, * how strong ! ' It is true that her skill in 
drawing, printing and writing is very great, and it 
is as true that all her movements are very sluggish.' 

The attention of Dr. S. was now riveted upon 
a child about twelve years old, whose head exhibited 
an extraordinary frontal development. 1 asked 
what he thought of her. ' Remarkable, remarka- 
ble,' said he, * for the second education.' I did not 
understand him, and asked an explanation. 'I 
think,' said he, ' education consists of two parts,; 
the first relates chiefly to the receiving of ideas, 
and the second to giving them out. She may not 
excel in the first part ; but when it comes to the 
second, she will take a high rank.' 

Still he was not particular enough. He then 
at last said she might not excel in writing, spell- 
ing and such elementary exercises, but when a 
little older, would in astronomy, natural philoso- 
phy, and subjects of that nature. He did not 
think she was inferior to most children in other 
respects, but her strength lay not there. 

Her history is this. It is my custom in winter 
to employ the afternoons in giving lessons to the 
older pupils in natural philosophy, accompanied 
by experiments with the valuable apparatus be- 



114 

longing to the school. As the experiments are 
amusing, I have been accustomed to let the 
younger pupils attend as spectators, without ex- 
pecting them to study the subject of the lesson. 
This child, then ten years old, asked permission 
to attend as a spectator. Her request was granted, 
and the next day she asked if she might recite the 
lessons with the class, for I always required the 
class to answer not only the questions in their 
text book, but also such others as I thought might 
fairly be asked. The request was novelj but as I 
never check any ambition of this sort, without 
first ascertaining that it is unreasonable, I allowed 
her to join the class, although so much their junior. 
As the attendance in the afternoon was voluntary, 
my regular duties ending with the forenoon, I 
proposed a prize of two dollars to whichever at 
the end of the course should have recited best, 
and should undergo the best general review. At 
the end of the season, it appeared that she had 
recited as well as any one in the class. Next 
came the review. I prepared twenty-five ques- 
tions different from any that had been previously 
asked, and put them all to each of the thirty-two 
pupils that belonged to the class. Ten did not 
mistake. I then proposed five more difficult 
questions to these ten, and she alone answered 
them all correctly. Still thinking it possible that 
she might have obtained the knowledge from some 
other source than reflection, I gave her a further 



115 

review, till I was satisfied that she had understood 
the principles, and was at no difficulty to apply 
them. She took the prize, and what is credita- 
ble to her class, it would have been difficult to 
say which was most pleased, the victor or the van- 
quished. 

I next called up a little girl, whom he pronoun- 
ced quick at figures. She is the quickest I have 
ever seen in the elements of arithmetic. I then 
called up the head and foot of a class formed of 
three or four classes that I had been reviewing, 
and asked him which was the best arithmetician. 
He instantly pointed her out, but said ' the other 
was not deficient.' She was not, when compared 
with the classes below her. 

By this time the curiosity of the pupils was so 
much excited, that all regular work was inter- 
rupted. Children that had been called, remained 
standing around the Doctor, and in a short time 
others joined them, and he had an audience of 
twenty or thirty. He was a decided favorite. 
At this moment, a few of the larger pupils brought 
forward a Miss about thirteen years old, who had, 
as they thought, a very small head, and respect- 
fully requested Dr. S. to tell what her head was 
good for. He turned to me and said, 6 Imitation, 
oh how full ! ' I asked him how it would be 
likely to show itself. ' In mimicry,' said he, ' as 
likely as in any way. Is she not a great mimic ? ' 
I had never suspected her of any such disposition, 



116 

and turning to her companions, I asked them if 
they had ever seen her attempt to mimic any one.' 
c O, sir,' said they, ' she is the greatest mimic you 
ever saw. She takes every body off.' This was 
news to me. ' You may rely upon it,' said Dr. S. 
1 she will be taking me and my foreign accent off 
before I leave the room.' 

About fifteen minutes afterwards, he jogged my 
elbow, and pointed behind him, where I saw this 
Miss putting her hand upon the head of her com- 
panions in the very peculiar manner of Dr. S. and 
saying in his accent, ' You, Miss, have the bump 
of so and so, and you, Miss, have the bump of so 
and so.' He laughed heartily at the verification 
of his prediction. He said she had courage, 
much self-esteem, and little caution, and must be 
guarded, or her imitation would be inconvenient 
to her. 

I have mentioned some of the most prominent 
cases that fell under the Doctor's observation. 
He pointed out one pupil as having the organ of 
language largely developed, and she is certainly 
distinguished for one of her age. I called up 
several whose forte 1 had not been able satisfacto- 
rily to discover, and he generally pronounced that 
they had none. 

His visit lasted only two hours, and he left the 
school much to the regret of the pupils to whom 
his easy manners, benevolent advice, and knowl- 
edge of their thoughts had strongly recommended 



117 

him. Next day, they requested me to beg him to 
honor them with another visit. He promised to 
do so, but his engagements prevented.' 

When at the Massachusetts State Prison, he 
selected one who probably would, as he said, soon 
return if he were liberated. This prisoner was 
there for life. He pointed out another who had, 
as he remarked, no particular development that 
should have led him to crime ; and on inquiry, the 
prisoner acknowledged that he was there for acts 
committed while in a state of intoxication. He 
thought the heads of the prisoners, compared 
with others of similar institutions, were unusually 
good, and he explained this upon the ground that 
a large proportion of them, previous to their com- 
mitment, were addicted to habits of intemperance, 
and were influenced by other than natural causes. 

We extract the following from a note received 
from Mr. Barnum Field, Principal of Hancock 
School, Boston. 

' In answer to your inquiry respecting the visit 
of Dr. Spurzheim to my school in October last, I 
would observe that his objects seemed to be to un- 
derstand the physical and intellectual condition of 
the pupils. 

The aptness of his questions to the subject, 
and the originality of thought produced by them, 
excited the most lively interest in the pupils. His 
examination of their intellectual progress, though 
perfectly simple, was more appropriate and inter- 



118 

esting than any thing of the kind I have ever 
witnessed.' 

He objected to the mode in which our primary 
schools were conducted : he said that the chil- 
dren ' learned to read and to spell in a mechani- 
cal and old fashioned way ; that their intellect 
received attention to excess, while their feelings 
were neglected, and that they were too much con- 
fined. He thought ' it too much for the health of 
the young beings to be confined six hours a day on 
the benches.' 

He visited the schools kept for th« children of 
the colored population of Boston. He remarked, 
'that individuality and eventuality were strong in 
the negro children ; the reflective faculties less, 
and the whole forehead in general, smaller than 
in the whites. They will receive their first edu- 
cation as quick, if not quicker than the white ; 
they can read and speak as well, but they will 
be deficient in the English High School.' 

Having excited a most favorable interest among 
our citizens, in relation to Phrenology, he labored 
with great earnestness to elucidate the principles 
of the science. His lectures in the city were 
generally one hour and a half in length, and at 
Cambridge two hours ; and he often remained at 
the close of the lecture to answer such questions 
as his auditors might feel disposed to ask. 

His time and presence were in constant demand. 
There was hardly an hour in the day after 



119 

9 o'clock, A. M. during which he was not engaged 
either in receiving company or making visits. 
This was not all. The little time which he had 
after the close of his lectures, of almost every 
evening of the week, was claimed, and he too 
often yielded to the invitations of his numerous 
friends. 

Although he had naturally a strong constitution, 
his exertions were more than he could endure. 
Of this, he was fully sensible himself, and fre- 
quently observed, that his health would require 
him to lessen his labors, and that he should not 
engage after his first course, to give more than 
three lectures a week. When he complained of 
any illness, he generally attributed it to change of 
diet, to eating of food to which he had not been 
accustomed ; or, as he usually expressed himself, 
' The natural laws have been violated, and I must 
suffer the penalty ; I must live simple, and nature 
will correct the evil.' He sometimes spoke of 
8 his skin's being in disorder. ' 

The fever of which he died, gradually appear- 
ed, and was evidently produced by a combination 
of causes ; such as over exertion, changeableness 
of the climate, sudden and protracted exposures 
to the evening air, &c. 

For several days after he had first complained, 
there were no symptoms that gave rise to any se- 
rious apprehension or alarm. He considered 
himself as slightly indisposed, and confidently be- 



120 

lieved that his chosen physician, nature, would heal 
and restore him. Had these moments been en- 
joyed in rest and quietude, the fatal grasp of disease 
had not secured so valuable a victim. 

No man had more confidence in the strength of 
his constitution and in the internal corrective 
power of nature, than Dr. Spurzheim. We fear 
that he had too much, and had become so familiar 
with the natural laws of man, that he almost fan- 
cied they were under his control. In answer to 
compliments regarding his health, we have heard 
him reply, ' I am well, 1 thank you, I am always 
well.' 

' At one of his lectures in Boston, (the beautiful 
lecture on charity and mutual forbearance) while 
he was diffusing light and warmth among his 
hearers, he was seen suddenly shivering.' * 

When leaving the Hall, after his lecture on 
natural language, he said, ' I feel quite ill, and I 
am afraid my own natural language has been too 
strong for the pleasure of my hearers.' 

Regardless of the entreaties of his friends, he 
continued to fulfil his engagements. His lectures 
were nearly finished, and he had a most ardent 
desire to close them before he rested. ' The 
arrangement has been made,' said he, ' the public 
will expect to hear me at the stated time, and 
when I have finished, it will be a relief to know that 
I can rest without disappointing others.' 

* Prof. Follen. 



121 

As the Athenaeum Hall was not sufficiently large 
to accommodate his increasing audience, he en- 
gaged the spacious lecture-room in the Masonic 
Temple, for the two concluding lectures of his 
course, which were to be on the subject of educa- 
tion. 

On the evening of the first and last lecture in 
that place, it was very apparent that his illness 
had increased. When he arrived at the Temple, 
although he rode in a close carriage, we observed 
a free and cold perspiration on his face, and saw 
that he was unusually pale and occasionally affect- 
ed by chills. In his lecture he appeared feeble, and 
did not discover that lively animation which usually 
lighted up his countenance, and characterized his 
performances. He greatly exerted himself to edify 
his hearers, but they seemed to be more concern- 
ed for his health than interested in his subject. 
They rather sympathized with the sick man, than 
listened to the philosopher. 

It was ascertained at the close of the lecture, 
that the Hall in the Temple could not be had for 
the next evening, and he, wishing to consult the 
convenience of his audience, asked with one of his 
benignant smiles, ' In what place shall we meet next 
time ? ' A question, which it pleased the Almighty 
Disposer of events to answer in the counsel of his 
own will, — leaving man to dwell upon the infirmi- 
ties of human nature, and to wonder at the inexpli- 
cable decrees of Divine Providence ! 
Q 



122 

He returned to his lodgings, never to leave 
them. It was difficult, even then, to persuade 
him that he was too sick to lecture. He con- 
sented to a postponement of only two or three 
days, and until the expiration of that time, he 
could not be prevailed upon to acknowledge 
the importance and necessity of entire cessation 
from labor. He entertained the idea, that exer- 
tion would have an influence in restoring his sys- 
tem. 

A new obstacle now presented itself, he was 
averse to all medicine. While in England he suf- 
fered from a severe fit of sickness, owing as he 
then supposed to change of climate, and after- 
wards another when he returned to France. In 
both cases he submitted to the advice and pre- 
scriptions of his physicians, and from what he saw 
in his own experience, he inferred that it was not 
safe to place too much confidence in the skill of 
of the faculty, or in the .virtue of drugs. 

1 He stated that Cuvier had been bled, though 
he (Dr. S.) protested against it, believing that lite- 
rary men did not bear that evacuation. He stated, 
that his own constitution was very irritable, and 
that from his childhood he had never been able to 
bear medicine. 

When very properly advised by Dr. Grigg to 
employ some evacuant, he consented to take one 
drachm of Epsom Salts, saying that this would 
affect him powerfully. It did produce a hyperca- 



123 

tharsis, so that he took some small doses of opium 
to arrest it.' * 

Receiving no relief from the treatment of his 
own choice, he consented that Dr. Jackson should 
be called. This distinguished physician attended 
him from the 30th of October till his death. 

The attention of many of the citizens of Boston 
and of Cambridge to Dr. Spurzheim, while sick, 
was highly creditable to them. They were prompt 
to answer every call, to anticipate his wants, and 
to perform all those duties of kindness which his 
situation required. A particular acknowledgement 
is due to Drs. J. Tuckerman, J. Barber, William 
Grigg, J. D. Fisher, S. G. Howe, J. G. Stevenson, 
W. Lewis, Jr. George Parkman, John Flint, Prof. 
Beck, Prof. Follen, and Mr. James A. Dorr. 

Immediately after his death, Dr. Jackson pub- 
lished a statement of his case, from which we 
make the following extracts : 

< On the 30th of October, I found Dr. Spurz- 
heim in his bed. His tongue was perfectly dry, 
except a line on each side, and dark, but not 
thickly coated ; he had much thirst, but no appe- 
tite ; he stated to me that his bowels were and 
had been freely open, though I found that they 
had not been kept so without artificial aid ; his 
pulse was 96, firm, and with the hardness of age 
rather than of disease, though he was only fifty- 

* Dr. Jackson's statement. 



124 

five years old ; his pulse intermitted frequently, 
but he stated that this had been the case for three 
years past, unaccompanied by any other symptom 
of diseased heart ; his respiration was natural, or 
as much so as that of any person so much diseas- 
ed ; he could expand his chest fully and freely, he 
struck it and it resounded well, and he declared 
that he had no symptom of disease referable to 
that cavity ; his skin was dry and rather hot, but 
not much so ; he declared himself free from pain, 
but he had uncomfortable feelings about the head ; 
and he had occasional uneasiness in the bowels, 
which he was always able to remove at will by a 
lavement ; there was nothing morbid in his evac- 
uations ; his most distressing symptoms were an 
extreme restlessness, with an appearance of impa- 
tience, and very great watchfulness. ' 

' From the 30th of October to the 5th of Novem- 
ber, he continued to manifest the same symptoms, 
without material alterations, gradually getting 
worse, but not in a marked degree from day to 
day. On one day, (31st,) his skin was very moist, 
but without corresponding amendment generally. 
He had the usual exacerbations at evening, and 
these did not abate until 2, 3 or 4 o'clock in the 
morning. He had some good sleep, but I believe 
never more than three hours in a night. He 
manifested at times great impatience, and an ir- 
ritable temper, which he had not evinced in health. 
This state of mind passed almost insensibly into 
delirium, particularly in the night. 



125 

When I visited him on the 5th of November, 
he was manifestly worse. His countenance was 
altered, his pulse was accelerated, though it re- 
tained its firmness in a good degree. The tongue 
had been perfectly dry from the first day on which 
I saw him, now it had diminished in volume, as if 
its whole substance were dried ; his respiration 
was somewhat irregular ; he had frequent twitch- 
ings of the muscles, which had existed in a less 
degree for two or three days, accompanied by a 
picking of the bed-clothes ; and his delirium was 
increased. 

On the 6th, the bad symptoms had become 
much worse. He was disposed to coma, with in- 
tervals of delirium. His respiration was more 
hurried and irregular, with some rattle in the 
throat ; and his pulse was now 120, more fee- 
ble and unequal in force. 

From this time his symptoms continued to be of 
a bad character until his death, which occurred 
on the 10th of November, a little before midnight.' 

' It is interesting to many persons to learn the 
exact name of his disease. It may be called a 
continued fever, in which the nervous symptoms 
were predominant. There were no symptoms of 
putrescency, and no strong inflammatory symp- 
toms. If it were called a pure typhus, the name 
would mislead many. It may be rather called a 
synochus, though not without dispute. Those 
who are accustomed to my teaching on this sub- 



126 

ject, know that I do not place a value on these 
names, not believing that nature recognizes the 
specific distinctions, which they are intended to 
designate. To those persons I should describe 
Dr. Spurzheim's disease thus : It was continued 
fever, in which the symptoms of the access came 
on insidiously, and were alone for many days ; 
the symptoms of the other stages never became 
very prominent ; those of a crisis never appeared. 
There was not evidence of inflammation in any 
organ of the body. If inflammation did exist, it 
must be called latent. ? 

8 At this time, October 30th, he was really in the 
third week of fever, though he had not been con- 
fined to the house so much as one week. The 
disease was fastened on him. I was convinced 
that it was too far advanced to be removed by med- 
icine. Dr. S. avowed to me his strong aversion 
to medicine. ' 

' But I have long since been taught by expe- 
rience, and have taught to others, that, in this 
confirmed and advanced period of fever, med- 
icine is not of any avail in arresting the disease. 
Under such circumstances we have only to watch 
the disease so as to guard against accidents, and 
especially to watch against the occurrence of in- 
flammation in any part. I had then no hesitation 
in confirming Dr. S. in the propriety of the ex- 
pectante method of treatment under his actual 
circumstances. ' 



127 

The method of treatment in this case adopted 
by Dr. Jackson was simple, and such as Dr. Spurz- 
heim highly approved. He recommended ' that he 
should be supported by mild liquid diet, duly reg- 
ulated in quantity ; that he should take such mild 
beverages as were grateful to him ; and that he 
should continue to rely on his favorite remedy, 
the lavement, to regulate his bowels. 

This simple treatment was continued during the 
remainder of his sickness almost without a devia- 
tion, except that after the 5th wine was administer- 
ed in moderate quantities. Twice I proposed to him 
some mild medicine, to obviate inconveniences 
which annoyed him. In each case he took a 
single dose ; but, either from a peculiarly irritable 
constitution, or from the influence of imagination, 
he felt himself much irritated, and refused to go 
any further. Had I urged upon him any impor- 
tant medicine as essential to his safety, he might 
perhaps have consented to use it. I do not how- 
ever believe that he would. Happily I did not 
think it necessary to make the trial. 

In regard to the chance of his recovery, 1 
must say the result disappointed me. Still, if 
I had thought the danger greater, I should have 
pursued the same course. Could I indeed have 
known that he would die in this course, 1 would 
have hazarded another. But this was impossible. 

I thought his recovery probable until the 5th of 
November, because I could not discover any evi- 



128 

dence of inflammation ; and it is very rare among 
us for fever to be fatal unless there is some in- 
flammation superadded to it. The unfavorable 
result in this case may perhaps be explained by 
the great labor, intellectual labor, which the pa- 
tient had undergone for several weeks ; and that, 
too, connected with a good deal of moral excite- 
ment, though of an agreeable kind. 

I ought to state, that at the request of Mr. Ca- 
pen, Doctors Ware and Stevenson consulted 
with Dr. Grigg and myself in the last five days of 
Dr. Spurzheim's life. They accorded perfectly 
in the measures pursued during that period.' 

During the last week of his illness he frequently 
complained of the want of light. On the eve- 
ning of the 5th, he said ' the light is dirty, artifi- 
cial, I want natural light.' He made the same 
complaint on the succeeding night, and wanted 
the doors and windows opened to admit more air. 
The admission of light into the room when morn- 
ing appeared, gave him great pleasure. 

He believed the air of the city to be bad and 
close, and was anxious that a carriage should be 
procured to take him out to Cambridge, where it 
was pure. His mind was so strongly impressed 
with this idea, that his friends could hardly per- 
suade him that the step would be dangerous and 
perhaps even fatal. This was a trying scene for 
those who were present. To be obliged to deny a 
request made by one whom they loved and respect- 



129 

ed, and which was urged with every interesting 
expression of feeling, of reason and of right — was 
indeed a painful duty to perform. 

It was thought at the time, that he was de- 
ranged ; but he had spoken of the subject fre- 
quently, and had reasoned himself into the belief 
that his recovery depended upon the measure. 
On the assurance of his physician, however, that 
such a remove would be impossible without great 
danger, be acquiesced, and after that made no 
allusion to it. 

About a week before his death, two letters were 
received for him, from Paris. When told of their 
arrival, he seemed to be reanimated and at the same 
time profoundly affected. He grasped the letters 
with an expression of ardent interest which we shall 
never forget, and pressing them to his lips, he laid 
down and wept. The language of his soul shook 
his noble frame, and with the simplicity of a child 
he silently expressed by his tears and deep heaving 
bosom, that to a mighty mind God had united an 
affectionate heart. 

Although these letters, so precious in his sight, 
arrived to gladden him in his illness, yet he had not 
strength sufficient to read them. He would not 
suffer them for some time to be taken from him, 
and frequently attempted to read their contents, 
but with little success. 

One day he called for his watch, to which were 
attached several seals and rings. He viewed 
R 



130 

one of them for some moments with an expres- 
sion of intense thought, and appeared to derive 
an exquisite pleasure from the act. Who will 
say that a gift from a friend we lpve can be kept 
too sacredly, when such a mind as that of Spurz- 
heim's acknowledged and enjoyed the presence 
of a simple ring? Tokens of friendship become 
sources of delight by association. 

The anxiety of his friends increased as his ill- 
ness continued. The anxious mind is never sat- 
isfied to remain inactive, however advisable inac- 
tivity may be in certain cases; it is ever onward 
from remedy to experiment, and from experiment 
to failure or success, till the object of its interest 
is secured from danger, or placed beyond the 
reach of mortal hope. 

On the night of the 8th, his medical attendants 
placed him in a warm bath, of 98 degrees heat, in 
which he remained fifteen minutes. He was 
much pleased with the effects of it ; he breathed 
easier, his pulse was more regular and he appeared 
more tranquil. He seemed for the moment to be 
strengthened by the immersion, and afterwards 
gained a few minutes of sleep. A large blister was 
then applied over the bowels, and although he made 
no objection to the application of it, he soon tore 
it off. The favorable symptoms, however, were 
of short duration, and he returned to his former 
restless and oppressed condition. 

In the afternoon of the 9th, he called for the 



131 

writer of this biography, and three lawyers. 
Soon after, the writer entered the room, and Dr. 
S. was told that he was present. Dr. S. immediate- 
ly signified a wish to be raised up, and could only 
recognize his friend by a pressure of his hand. 
His eyes were nearly closed, his mouth and tongue 
dry, and his strength was insufficient to sustain his 
body, even in a reclining position. He attempted 
to speak but in vain. His friend, being satisfied 
that he (Dr. S.) was conscious of his approaching 
dissolution, assured him that every thing would be 
properly done. But this assurance gave him no 
strength to speak his wishes. 

His inability grieved him, and for a moment 
we saw an expression of despairing grief pass 
over his countenance, and an inward struggling 
to make known his death-bed request. That he 
had something particular to say, there can be 
no doubt, as he expressed a wish to make some 
communication to the writer, soon after his con- 
finement, but feeling too ill at the time, he said, 
6 to-morrow, when 1 shall feel better. ' To-mor- 
row came, and days succeeded, but not to witness 
the returning health of Spurzheim. 

When his sickness began to grow more dan- 
gerous, he said to one of his best friends, ' I 
must die.' The other said, ' I hope not ; ' and 
he replied, < Oh yes, I must die ; I wish to live 
as long as I can for the good of the science ; but 
1 am not afraid of death. He never murmured at 



132 



his sickness, but awaited its issue with entire sub- 
mission.'* 

He did not seem to suffer any pain, and for most 
of the time, we think, he was in the possession of 
his reason, although he did not voluntarily exer- 
cise it. It was extremely difficult for him to 
speak, but he plainly signified by signs that he 
generally understood whatever was said to him. 

A short time before his death a friend addressed 
him in his mother tongue, and it manifestly gave 
him pleasure. 

His friends were soon brought to realize the 
solemn conviction that death had marked for its 
victim the object of their respect and solicitude. 
The scene had now become one of painful in- 
terest. The man who had so lately appeared in 
public, apparently enjoying all the blessings of 
health ; who had by his learning and eloquence ex- 
cited the wonder and admiration of our citizens- 
lay prostrate and helpless, and seemingly uncon- 
scious of the presence of those who surrounded his 
bed. Nothing was heard but the laborious breath- 
ing of him who was the object of attention, and 
the low and melancholy whispers of his inquiring 
friends. 

Sadness and despondency clouded every coun- 
tenance, and the silent language of the feelings 
told, that a spirit, respected and beloved, was about 
to depart, never to return. 

* Prof. Follen 



133 

Men advanced to manhood and to the hardening 
cares of life, gazed upon the face that had so 
recently smiled upon them, and left the room weep- 
ing at the sight of so vast a change. We saw 
him but a few hours before his death, * with his 
hands folded upon his breast, while deep tranquil- 
lity was resting on his uplifted countenance, as if 
saying within himself,' the prayer which was ever 
in his heart and upon his tongue, ' Father thy will 
be done.' 

He died without a groan, or a struggle, on Sat- 
urday night, 11 o'clock, November 10th. 

Early on the following morning several of the 
friends of the deceased, both in Boston and at 
Cambridge were notified to meet for the purpose 
of adopting such measures as the solemn occasion 
required. We give the account of the proceed- 
ings of this meeting as afterwards published. 

< On Sunday, the 11th day of November, 1832, 
the morning after the decease of Dr. Spurzheim, 
a number of his friends assembled at his late apart- 
ments for the purpose of considering what mea- 
sures should be taken on this melancholy occasion. 

The Hon. Josiah Quincy, President of Harvard 
University, being called to the chair, and J. Greely 
Stevenson, M. D, appointed Secretary, a delib- 
eration took place on the measures which should 
be adopted to express a sense of the public loss 
sustained by the death of this distinguished man, 
and of the impression made by his talents and vir- 



134 

tues on those who had enjoyed the privilege of his 
acquaintance during his short residence in this city. 
The gentlemen assembled also took into consider- 
ation what disposition should be made of his re- 
mains, so as to place them at the future disposal 
of his European friends and relatives, in case they 
should be hereafter claimed by them, and in whose 
hands his papers, casts, and other property should 
be deposited so as to secure them from the possi- 
bility of being damaged, diminished or lost, until 
some person legally authorized should take them 
into possession. 

"Whereupon it was voted, 

1. That the arrangement of the funeral obse- 
quies of the deceased, and of the measures proper 
to be adopted to express a sense of the public loss, 
by the death of Dr. Spurzheim, and the respect 
entertained by the inhabitants of this city and its 
vicinity for his talents and virtues be committed to 
Josiah Quincy, LL. D. President of Harvard Uni- 
versity, Nathaniel Bowditch, LL. D. Joseph Story, 
LL. D. Joseph Tuckerman, D. D. Charles Follen, 
J. U. D. Jonathan Barber, M. D. Charles Beck, 
P. D. William Grigg, M. D. George Bond, and 
Charles P. Curtis, Esqrs. 

2. Voted, That the body of Dr Spurzheim be 
examined and embalmed, and be placed in such a 
situation as will render it most suitable to be trans- 
mitted to his European friends and relatives, should 
they request it ; and also that a cast of his head 



135 

be taken, under the superintendence of Drs. John 
C. Warren, James Jackson, George C. Shattuck, 
Walter Channing, George Parkman, John Ware, 
Edward Reynolds, Jr. Winslow Lewis, Jr. J. Greely 
Stevenson, John D. Fisher, William Grigg, and 
Samuel G. Howe. 

3. Voted, That the papers, casts and other pro- 
perty of the deceased, be committed to John 
Pickering, LL. D. Nathaniel Bowditch, LL. D. 
Thomas W. Ward, and Nahum Capen, Esqrs. and 
that they be requested to secure the same until 
such disposition be made of them as the laws of 
the land, in such cases, provide. 

A true transcript of the proceedings, 

Jo si ah Quincy, Chairman. 
Attest, J. Greely Stevenson, Secretary. 

At a meeting of the committee appointed by 
the friends of the late Dr. Spurzheim, ' to take 
charge of his funeral obsequies, and to adopt meas- 
ures proper to express a sense of the public loss 
sustained by the death of Dr. Spurzheim, and the 
respect entertained by the inhabitants of this city 
and vicinity for his talents and virtues,' holden on 
the 11th of November, 1832, it was 

Voted, That the body of the deceased be con- 
veyed on Saturday, the 17th inst. at 2 o'clock, P. 
M. to the Old South Meeting House, where appro- 
priate services shall be performed : after which the 
body shall be conveyed to the receiving tomb be- 



136 

longing to the trustees of Mount Auburn, there to 
remain until the determination of his European 
friends shall be known, and that it be attended 
from the Old South Church to the cemetery in 
Park Street by a voluntary procession composed 
of the members of the several committees and such 
citizens as maybe desirous to pay that mark of re- 
spect to the remains of this distinguished stranger. 
Jo si ah Quincy, Chairman. 

At a meeting of the above committee on the . 
17th of Nov. 1832, it was 

Voted, That a place for the permanent deposit 
of the body of Dr. Spurzheim be prepared at Mount 
Auburn, in case it should not be requested to be 
sent to Europe by his friends and relatives ; and 
that a monument be erected over his tomb ; and 
for this purpose that a subscription be opened 
among those who are willing to pay this tribute to 
his memory. 

A true copy of the proceedings of the above sub- 
committee, Jo si ah Quincy, Chairman. 

'At a special meeting of the Boston Medical As- 
sociation, held at the Massachusetts Medical Col- 
lege, November 14th, 1832, the following resolu- 
tions were unanimously adopted, and ordered to 
be published. 

'The Boston Medical Association having receiv- 
ed with great satisfaction the visit of the late Dr. 



137 

J. G. Spurzheim ; and their acquaintance with him 
having inspired them with high respect for his re- 
searches in anatomy and physiology, and a deep 
interest in his opinions on the moral and physical 
improvement of man ; therefore, 

Resolved, That we view the decease of Dr. 
Spurzheim and the termination of his labors, as a 
calamity to mankind, and, in an especial manner, 
to this country. 

Resolved, That a respectful letter be addressed 
to his friends in Europe, by the Secretary of this 
Association, detailing an account of his labors, his 
illness and death, and the expression of public re- 
spect paid to his memory. 

Resolved, That this Association, as a body, will 
attend the funeral obsequies of the deceased. 

Resolved, That we recommend to our fellow 
citizens the opinions of the deceased, on the im- 
provement of our systems of education ; and es- 
pecially what relates to the development of the 
physical powers and moral dispositions ; and as 
they can no more expect to hear them from the 
lips of our lamented friend, that they lose no time 
in making a practical application of them to the 
existing state of our institutions, for the culture of 
the human mind. 

Attest, Joseph W. McKean, 

Secretary. 



138 



The solemn funeral rites were paid to the re- 
mains of Dr. Spurzheim, at the appointed time 
and place. The body of the deceased was re- 
moved from the Medical College to the church, 
at 12 o'clock, accompanied by the Boston Med- 
ical Association. Several of the bells of the city 
were tolled from 2 to 3 o'clock. 

The services commenced at 3 o'clock, by a 
dirge on the organ, by Zeuner. The Rev. J. 
Tuckerman addressed the throne of grace in a 
most fervent and impressive prayer. An able and 
appropriate oration was then delivered by Pro- 
fessor Follen. 

The following beautiful ode, by Rev. John 
Pierpont, was then sung with great effect by the 
Handel and Haydn Society. 



STRANGER, there is bending o'er thee 
Many an eye with sorrow wet : 

All our stricken hearts deplore thee : 
Who, that knew thee, can forget ? 

Who forget what thou hast spoken ? 
Who, thine eye — thy noble frame ? 

But, that golden bowl is broken, 
In the greatness of thy fame. 

Autumn's leaves shall fall and wither 

On the spot where thou shalt rest: 
'Tis in love we bear thee thither 

To thy mourning mother's breast. 
For the stores of science brought us, 

For the charm thy goodness gave 
To the lessons thou hast taught us, 

Can we give thee but a grave? 



Nature's priest, how true and fervent 
Was thy worship at her shrine ! 

Friend of man, — of God the servant, 
Advocate of truths divine, 

Taught and charmed as by no other, 
We have been, and hoped to be ; 

But while waiting round thee, Brother, 
For thy light — 'tis dark with thee ! — 

Dark with thee ! no ; thy Creator, 

All whose creatures and whose laws 
Thou didst love, shall give thee greater 

Light than earth's, as earth withdraws. 
To thy GOD thy godlike spirit 

Back we give, in fdial trust ; 
Thy cold clay — we grieve to bear it 

To its chamber — but we must. 



On this occasion the Old South Church was 
crowded with ladies and gentlemen at an early 



139 

hour, and several hundred came and went away 
disappointed, who could not find even a place to 
stand upon. It was estimated that about three 
thousand persons were present. The ceremo- 
nies were peculiarly solemn, and they made an 
impression upon the audience that time can never 
erase. After the close of the services, the remains 
of the lamented deceased were removed to the 
silent tomb, followed by several hundred citizens. 

The decease of Dr. Spurzheim cast a gloom over 
our city. We have never known a death which 
seemed to excite so universal and sincere a feel- 
ing of grief. The citizens of Boston had become 
interested in him ; they saw that he was a man 
eminent both for his learning and his virtues ; 
and they regarded his death as a public calamity. 
They felt that they had lost a friend ; one who 
had made human nature his study, that he might 
promote its perfection and administer to its wants. 

Alas! what is life, and what is death! What 
vast multitudes of human beings are born, who 
live, and move, and act and die without leaving a 
single trace of their usefulness, or without dis- 
covering to the world the design of their exis- 
tence ! New names are almost hourly added to 
our records of death ; but how few of the great 
number that are let down into the cold grave, 
excite public grief for the loss of their wisdom, 
piety, or exertion ! 

Living is not physical action, though death 



140 

may be physical decay. To live, is to possess the 
knowledge proper to man, to perform the duties 
required by the condition of our fellow creatures, 
and to act according to the noblest dictates of 
human nature. 

It should be humiliating to the pride of man 
that so few are alive to the great and sublime 
objects of their existence. That the decease of 
one human being out of so many millions should 
create a void which no other is capable of filling ! 
And yet, who can fill the place of Sfurzheim ! 

On the evening of the 17th of November (day 
of the funeral) several of the friends of the de- 
ceased met and agreed to organize a society, to 
be called the Boston Phrenological Society, for 
the purpose of investigating the principles of 
Phrenology, and to ascertain the bearings of the 
science upon the physical, moral and intellectual 
condition of man. 

It was voted at this meeting, that the Society 
be organized on the 31st of December, 1832, 
the birth-day of Spurzheim. It was organized 
at the stated time, and in the course of three 
months numbered about ninety members. 

Regarding Dr. Spurzheim as a man, we find all 
that dignifies and adorns the human character. He 
was distinguished for his superior mind, and his 
meek and amiable manners. In all his scientific 
studies he invariably reasoned with reference to 
the ordinary duties of life. He considered that 



141 

the true intent of philosophy was to render man- 
kind more perfect and more happy, and any re- 
searches not having these grand objects in view, 
he esteemed as useless and unworthy of pursuit. 

He was "kind and affectionate to his friends, 
and charitable to his opponents. He was lib- 
eral, prudent, and industrious. His habits of 
living were those of strict temperance. ' We 
have seen him,' says Professor Follen, ' sitting 
down to sumptuous meals, provided in honor of 
him, and have seen him fasting, for the want of 
food adapted to his simple taste.' 

8 Being asked what peculiar effect his system 
(of Phrenology) had had upon his own mind, he 
said, that without it he would have been a misan- 
thrope ; that the knowledge of human nature had 
taught him to love, respect and pity his fellow 
beings. 5 * 

His benevolence was not of a limited charac- 
ter, having motives of selfishness for its origin, but 
extending to the whole family of man. He al- 
ways evinced the greatest pleasure in conferring 
favors, and seemed to delight in nothing more 
than in rendering his fellow creatures happy. Yet 
he was scrupulously fearful that he himself should 
be the cause of too much trouble to his friends. 
He expressed gratitude for the slightest favor, and 
when upon his death-bed, laboring under a tedious 
restlessness, he would frequently forget himself in 

* Prof. Follen. 



142 

a partial sleep, and rouse, and ask pardon of his 
attendants for his seeming want of ceremony. We 
mention these things, which in themselves are 
trifling, to show what were his permanent habits. 

We have known him to stop in the street and 
enjoy the playfulness of children, clothed in tatters 
of the most degraded poverty, and exhibit all the 
interest in the rude display of their nature, that he 
ever showed for others of more fortunate birth 
and condition. He would say, ' See, there is na- 
ture, see what nature is.' 

Even to animals he extended his kind regard, 
and expressed his indignation at the acts of bru- 
tality which we too often witness in our streets, 
particularly the forcing of horses to draw a load 
beyond their strength. 

He regarded love as the true foundation of all 
discipline, and expressed great satisfaction when 
he visited a school which was conducted upon 
this principle. 

6 We have works,' said he in one of his lectures, 
' written upon the feelings ; we are told to have 
charity, to cultivate veneration and benevolence, 
and children are made to learn them by heart ; by 
doing so the verbal memory merely is exercised, 
but the feelings remain as before. Exercise is the 
putting into action. Speak to a child of hunger 
and thirst and give him very correct explanations 
of the terms, yet he will never know what they 
are by such explanations ; but give him little to 



143 

eat and to drink, and he will soon know what they 
are. Say nothing about benevolence and charity 
to a child, and take him to see poor suffering be- 
ings, and make him suffer a little also, and he will 
soon learn what benevolence and charity are. 5 

He spoke in terms of censure of the common 
mode of correcting a child for an improper display 
of anger. < When a child is angry,' said he, ' we 
wish to correct it, and we speak angry words 
ourselves, but this will not do. We cannot ex- 
pect to succeed until we have corrected ourselves, 
as anger excites anger.' 

' It sometimes happened that while he was 
attending to the inquiries of some person unknown 
to himself, and not distinguished in society, he 
was addressed by another, a great and distin- 
guished man. But he never attended to the* 
second inquirer until he had satisfied the first, al- 
though he were the great and distinguished man.'* 
Before he commenced his lectures, he author- 
ized two or three individuals to use their discretion 
in bestowing tickets upon those who were inclined 
to attend, but were unable to pay ; and he desired 
that they should be conferred rather as tokens of 
respect from his friends than as favors from him- 
self, not wishing to offend even the delicate feel- 
ings of pride. 

In all his observations and inquiries respecting 



Prof. Follen. 



144 

our institutions, he invariably regarded practical 
utility as the test of their value. 

' It is unfortunate for humanity, 5 says he in one 
of his works, ' that those who assume distinctive 
titles, do not act up to them. From this cause it 
is that the most noble appellations fall into dis- 
credit. Pretended patriots have sometimes been 
more dangerous than declared enemies ; pretend- 
ed Christians worse than heathens.' 

Exertions predicated upon speculative theories 
afforded him no satisfaction. Nothing, perhaps, 
excited his displeasure so much as to hear pro- 
fessions without seeing a corresponding practice. 

' Union and morality alone,' says he in his work 
on Education, < can save the future happiness of 
the United States of America. Being divided, or 
without morality, they will have the fate of the 
ancient and modern nations of the old world. In- 
tellectual education alone cannot produce the 
desired effect, whilst the animal feelings predomi- 
nate and physical education is neglected. Let 
the legislators be aware of the detrimental conse- 
quences of selfishness, luxury, ambition, vanity, of 
the animal feelings in general, of all causes which 
contribute to the degeneration of body and mind ; 
let them be particularly careful about pauperism 
on one side, and great riches on the other ; about 
idleness, degeneracy of the race and immorality. 
Praying alone, and religious ceremonies will not 
remedy natural evils and the neglect of natural 
laws.' 



145 

Having heard a clergyman speak against long 
prayers, and afterwards make a long prayer him- 
self, he remarked, that such a course was inex- 
cusable, since his words would be forgotten, but 
his example remembered and followed. 

On hearing a preacher denounce the things of 
the world without qualifying his expressions, he 
observed ' that the carpets, cushions, curtains and 
splendid furniture of the church in which he spoke 
contradicted the sincerity of his professions.' 

He heard a clergyman preach who evinced 
violent feelings when addressing the unconverted 
part of his audience, and said ' that preacher pre- 
tends to be a follower of Jesus Christ, but he does 
not imitate his meekness. 5 

On invitation of the Massachusetts Agricultural 
Society, he attended the fair at Brighton. He 
seemed to be as good a judge of cattle as of men, 
and readily pointed out their good and bad qualities. 
' It is curious,' said he, 4 that your people think more 
of the physical condition of their cattle than of 
their children.' 

' The great aim of all his inquiries into human 
nature, was to search out the will of God in the 
creation of man. Obedience to his laws he con- 
sidered as the highest wisdom, and most expan- 
sive freedom. In speaking of theories of men's 
invention, he remarked, ' We say a great deal, and 
we think we do a great deal ; we would be wise 
above what is given, and work upon the works of 



146 

God ; but it is all nothing. — Thy will be done ! — 
The Father is always overlooked. We look to him 
perhaps amid great trials and on great occasions ; 
but not in smaller things. We say, " they are too 
little." It is this in which we err. Can anything 
that concerns his children, be too little for a 
Father ? I * 

We give a phrenological statement of the char- 
acter of Dr. Spurzheim, which was published in 
1820 by Sir George S. Mackenzie. 

Philoprogenitiveness and attachment, well mark- 
ed ; courage, small; self-esteem, moderate; love 
of approbation, well developed ; destructiveness, 
large, but completely subdued ; constructiveness, 
defective ; acquisitiveness, small ; cautiousness, 
large ; wit, hope, ideality, marvellousness and im- 
itation, weak ; benevolence, veneration, firmness 
and justice, strong ; form, order, and number, well 
developed ; coloring and tune, large ; eventuality, 
individuality, causality and comparison, large. 

The Marquis Moscati read a statement before 
the London Phrenological Society, in January, 
1833, in which he gives constructiveness, causali- 
ty, individuality, eventuality, comparison, order, 
form and size, all, < as very large,' and veneration, 
conscientiousness, benevolence, ideality, hope, 
locality and language, ' rather large.' 

Dr. Spurzheim was often heard to say, * When I 
die, I hope they will not bury my skull ; it will 

* Prof. Follen. 



147 

prove what my dispositions were, and afford the 
best answer to my calumniators.' 

As measures will be taken to preserve his skull, 
according to his wishes, we may soon expect a 
more accurate phrenological account of his char- 
acter. 

Viewing Dr. Spurzheim as a philosopher, we 
find much to admire and approve. Early inclined 
to study and reflection, ho contracted those habits 
of application and perseverance which enabled 
him in after life to think with so much energy and 
clearness. His philosophy grew out of his expe- 
rience and observation, and was constantly sub- 
mitted to the supervision of unsophisticated reason. 
His motto was £ res non verba qucesoP 

Truth with him, was the grand object of thought 
and investigation, and fearless of all consequences, 
arising either from ignorance or prejudice, he 
steadily pursued his object. 

' In one of his works he proposes the question, 
What should be the aim of every description 
of study ? ' He answers, < The establishment of 
truth, and the attainment of perfection ; ' and he 
quotes the saying of Confucius, < Truth is the law 
of heaven, and perfection is the beginning and end 
of all things.' 

' We remember the words with which he began 
one of his lectures : < I do not want you to believe 
what I propose to you ; 1 only want you to hear 
what I have to say ; and then go into the world 



148 

and see and judge for yourselves whether it be 
true. If you do not find it true to nature, have 
done with Phrenology ; but if it be true, you can- 
not learn it one minute too soon. 5 * 

He was anxious that his hearers should exam- 
ine the doctrines of Phrenology themselves ; and 
those who were ready to admit every proposition 
without previous study, he * termed ' sheep con- 
verts.' ' He wished that his science should be 
studied as a part of physiology ; and anxiously en- 
deavored to prevent its becoming an instrument 
of quackery and soothsaying, in the hands of the 
ignorant and presumptuous. He' therefore con- 
stantly refused the requests of those who wish- 
ed him to point out their own characters, or those 
of others ; and earnestly advised his too ardent 
disciples to learn and reflect before they set out 
to teach and practise.' * 

If any one had a desire to explain to him the 
nature of a particular animal or thing, he asked 
for facts ; if a position was advanced with reference 
to the character of man, he required it to be sus- 
tained by facts. It was his opinion that man had 
used his reason too exclusively, and that no science 
was safe unless confirmed by the testimony of na- 
ture herself. He saw in nature but one philoso- 
phy, one language ; he saw in the existence of 
man nothing discordant with the known and ac- 
knowledged dispensations of Divine Providence, 

* Prof. Follen. 



149 

but he contemplated the infinite variety of parts 
as a vast and perfect whole. 

' We never,' says he, ' venture beyond expe- 
rience. We neither deny nor affirm any thing 
which cannot be verified by experiment. We do 
not make researches either upon the dead body, 
or upon the soul alone, but upon the man as he 
appears in life. We consider the faculties of the 
mind, only so far as they become apparent to us 
by their organization. We never question what 
the moral and intellectual faculties may be in 
themselves. We do not attempt to explain how 
the body and soul are joined together, and exer- 
cise a mutual influence. We do not examine 
what the soul can do without the body. Souls, 
so far as we know, may be united to bodies at the 
moment of conception, or afterwards ; they may 
be different in different individuals, or of the 
same kind in every one ; they may be emana- 
tions from God, or something essentially differ- 
ent. Hence, whatever metaphysicians and theolo- 
gians may decide in respect to all these points, our 
assertion concerning the manifestations of the 
mind in this life, cannot be shaken.' 

4 Man,' says he in another place, ' is a being of 
creation ; and therefore the study of his nature 
requires the same method as the examination of 
every other natural being. Now, every class of 
living beings presents two parts for investigation ; 
the bodily structure which is the object of anato- 



150 

my ; the functions, which are the objects of physi- 
ology. Thus, it is necessary to study man, 1st. 
the structure of the whole body, and that of each 
part in particular ; 2nd. the functions in general, 
and of every part in particular ; 3d. the mutual 
influence of the different parts, and of their func- 
tions ; 4th. the relations between man and all the 
beings around him, whether animate or inanimate, 
even the relation to the Creator. 

The knowledge of mankind may be further di- 
vided into the knowledge of the healthy, and into 
that of the diseased state.' 

In the study of the mental faculties he avoided 
and condemned the common practice of philoso- 
phers, of inferring from their own consciousness 
the nature and extent of the mental phenomena. 
Although this mode of judging answered with res- 
pect to themselves, he objected to the knowledge 
as being applicable to all men. His course was to 
analyze with all the strictness of a mineralogist or 
a chemist, and from particulars to define the gen- 
eral character of man. As in natural history, 
when we speak of a stone, a plant, an animal, a 
bird, &c. we should consider it an unpardonable 
omission not to mention its species or distinctive 
character ; so he viewed all general ideas and as- 
sertions in relation to the mind. If a faculty was 
to be explained, he demanded the result of long 
and careful observation upon its earliest manifes- 
tations ; the different periods of its growth, its 



151 

maturity, its condition in a state of health and of 
disease, its peculiar habits and relations ; consti- 
tuting a perfect history of its existence, as modi- 
fied in the human race. From this strict course 
of study he wa& never known to deviate, nor 
would he consent to receive evidence from another 
who did not acknowledge the importance of it as 
indispensably requisite to a just conclusion. 

As an observer of men and manners, of their 
habits and condition, his equal probably did not 
exist. The minutest peculiarity, the most insig- 
nificant circumstance, could hardly escape his 
notice and investigation. 

' His modesty and habits of patient investigation 
prevented him from judging hastily of what he 
noticed in this country ; he preferred waiving his 
decision until further observation and experience 
should enable him to form more correct notions. 
Still he was always willing frankly to express his 
own opinion of what he had observed, whenever 
he thought that the light in which he viewed it, 
might be of some use to others. Whenever he 
expressed an opinion on the character of men, he 
always showed an uncommon power of discerning 
not only the striking points, but even the nicer 
combinations of different moral and intellectual 
qualities.'* But few men could describe the pecu- 
liarities of their intimate friends with so much ac- 
curacy as he could, after a single interview. 

* Frof. Follen. 



152 

The question has often been asked, < What was 
his opinion of the Americans ?' He refused to 
answer this general question, for the reason that he 
had seen but a small part of our country and but 
very few of its inhabitants. We will give, how- 
ever, an extract from his journal, to show his 
opinion of the New England character : 

1 The Yankee character is real Norman. They 
(Yankees) act with Secretiveness, Cautiousness, 
Courage, Self-esteem, Acquisitiveness ; with less 
Approbation and Reverence.' 

' He thought favorably of our American institu- 
tions generally ; he considered it as a great hap- 
piness that wealth is not here long hereditary, and 
that men have, in this country, to make their own 
way. He thought, however, that we were in dan- 
ger from self-love and ambition, and that if feel- 
ings of veneration and respect were not cultivated 
in the young, we should, by and by, have fighting.' 

To the compiler* of this notice he said, with 
reference to the permanency of our institutions, 
when it was stated that, as they had lasted two 
hundred years, it was hoped they might be per- 
manent, ' True — but, as yet, you have room 
enough and bread enough, but how will it be 
when your population becomes so dense that man 
touches man, and there is no more room nor place ; 
how will it be then ? I give you,' added he with a 
smile, ' five hundred years for your experiment ; if 

* Extract from a notice by Prof. Silliman. 



153 

your institutions stand five hundred years, they 
may perhaps be permanent.'* 

The journal which he commenced in this coun- 
try and his remarks to individuals, amply prove 
the great and uncommon activity of his scrutiniz- 
ing powers. We find in his journal even the pecu- 
liarities of a black servant described ; his manner 
of ringing the breakfast bell, changing the plates, 
and placing the knives and forks at the table, &c. 
He speaks also of ' a girl about seven or eight 
years old, of delicate health, who ate at church in 
a pew near him, dry leaves of mint.' 

He frequently spoke of persons and things, that 
a common observer would esteem as entirely un- 
worthy of notice. 

The labors of Dr. Spurzheim as an anatomist, 
have produced a reform in the study of the ner- 
vous system which will forever sustain him in the 
first rank of his profession. To be convinced of 
this, we have only to examine the state of know- 
ledge in relation to the anatomy, physiology, and 
pathology of the brain and spinal marrow, before 
he devoted himself to the investigation of those 
most important branches of science. 

Sir Astley Cooper and Mr. Abernethy admitted 
the importance of his discoveries and readily ac- 
knowledged his great merit. It is to be regretted, 
however, that some medical writers have had more 
sense to use, than fairness and candor to admit, 
the discoveries of Spurzheim. They have always 



154 

been ready to mention the source of any position 
which they considered untenable, while they kept 
all authority out of sight whenever they had occa- 
sion to use ideas which their judgment could not 
but approve. This course of conduct in scientific 
men shows a deficiency of respect for truth and 
justice that should bring upon them the marked 
censure of every candid person. Not satisfied with 
this species of injustice alone, some medical pro- 
fessors have with unparalleled effrontery ascribed 
to others the discoveries of Gall and Spurzheim ; 
than which a greater misrepresentation could 
hardly be made, as may be seen from a statement 
of facts given by Dr. Spurzheim in a note to Chen- 
evix's article, published in the Foreign Quarterly 
Review. In the same work the reader may find a 
particular account of Spurzheim's anatomical dis- 
coveries, as given by himself. 

The improvements which Dr. Spurzheim made 
in the science of Phrenology are considered very 
important. The science received its present name 
from him. < In extending my views,' says he, ' I 
found it necessary to change the name again (from 
Craniology,) and have chosen that of Phrenology, 
which is derived from two Greek words ; <p^v, 
mind, and Xo 7 os, discourse ; and I understand by 
it, the doctrine of the special phenomena of the 
mind, and of the relations between the mental dis- 
positions of the body, particularly the brain.' 

He raised this branch of knowledge to the dig- 



155 

nity of a science, by a consistent philosophy, and 
discovered, in a great degree, the true application 
of its principles. Phrenology, with his improve- 
ments, affords a most admirable system of educa- 
tion. It is a system which is founded upon an 
exact knowledge of our nature, and therefore both 
simple and practical. It comprehends the intel- 
lect and the feelings, and proposes a discipline 
with reference to both ; it determines their extent 
and mutual relations, and enables parents and in- 
structers to direct the young mind with greater 
certainty of success. 

His work upon this subject is of too valuable a 
character not to be read and made a book of refer- 
rence by those who stand in any relation^ to the 
rising generation. It is replete with knowledge 
and advice which reaches every condition, and 
which can be understood and reduced to practice. 
The additions which Dr. Spurzheim made to 
the number of the fundamental faculties, not be- 
fore admitted by Dr. Gall, are eight. ' But it is 
not the number, it is the spirit of these modifica- 
tions which Phrenologists principally admire.'* 

We present a diagram of the system such as 
Dr. Gall made, and another comprising Dr. Spurz- 
heim's latest modifications. 

No. 1, Zengunstrieb, the instinct of generation. 

No. 2, Jungenliebe, Kinderliebe, the love of offspring. 

* Chevenix's article, in which may be found a more detailed view of 
Dr. Spurzheim's improvements in Phrenology. 



156 

No. 3, Anhanglichkeit, friendship, attachment. 

No. 4, Muth, Raufsinn, courage, self-defence. 

No. 5, Wurgsinn, murder, the wish to destroy. 

No. 6, List, Schlauheit, Klugheit, cunning. 

No. 7, Eigenthumsinn, the sentiment of property. 

No. 8, Stolz, Hochmuth, Herschsucht, pride, self-esteem, haugh- 
tiness. 

No. 9, Eitelkeit, Rhumsucht, Ehrgeitz, vanity, ambition. 

No. 10, Behuthsamkeit, Vorsicht, Vorsichtigkeit, cautiousness, 
foresight, prudence. 

No. 11, Sachgedachtniss, Erziehungs-fahigkest, the memory of 
things, educability. 

No. 12, Ortsum, Raumsinn, local memory. 

No. 13, Personensinn, the memory of persons. 

No. 14, Wortgedachtniss, verbal memory. 

No. 15, Sprachforschungssinn, memory for languages. 

No. 16, Farbensinn, colors. 

No. 17, Tonsinn, music. 

No. 18, Zahlensinn, number. 

No. 19, Kunstsinn, aptitude for the mechanical arts. 

No. 20, Vergleichender, Scliarfsinn, comparative sagacity, apti- 
tude for drawing comparisons. 

No. 21, Metaphysischer Tiefsinn, metaphysical depth of 
thought, aptitude for drawing conclusions. 

No. 22, Witz, wit. 

No. 23, Dichtergeist, poetry. 

No. 24, Gutniiilhigkeit, Mitleiden, good-nature. 

No. 25, Darstellungssinn, mimicry. 

No. 26, Theosophie, theosophy, religion. 

No. 27, Festigkeit, firmness of character. 

' Philosophers,' said Spurzheim in one of his 
lectures, c have merely spoken of the general 
manifestations of the mind, and have given names 
to them ; but we must be more particular, we 
must specify the powers, and hence we are obliged 
either to speak in circumlocution, or to give new 
names. Some people say they do not like new 



157 

names, but if I have an idea, must I not give it a 
sign ? If the first man gives names to all things 
known to him, and if in future ages things are 
discovered not known before, must we not name 
them ? I will not, however, dispute about names, 
only let us have the powers kept distinct ; I am 
ready to change the names at any time, if any 
person will suggest better.' 

Dr. Spurzheim's arrangement of the faculties is 
comprised in orders, genera, species, &c. 

Special Faculties of the Mind. ORDER I. — Feelings, or Af- 
fective Faculties. GEJS US I. — Propensities. 

f Desire to live. * Alimentiveness. 1. Destructiveness. 
2. Amativeness. 3. Philoprogenitiveness. 4. Adhesiveness. 
5 Inbabitiveness. 6. Combativeness. 7. Secretiveness. 8. 
Acquisitiveness. 9. Constructiveness. 

GENUS II— Sentiments. 

10. Cautiousness. 11. Approbativeness. 12. Self-esteem. 13. 
Benevolence. 14. Reverence. 15 Firmness. 16. Conscien- 
tiousness. 17. Hope. 18. Marvellousness. 19. Ideality. 20. 
Mirthfulness. 21. Imitation. 

ORDER II— Intellectual Faculties. GENUS I.— External 
Senses. 

Voluntary motion. Feeling. Taste. Smell. Hearing. 
Sight. 

GENUS II. — Perceptive Faculties. 

22. Individuality. 23. Configuration. 24. Size. 25. Weight 
and resistance. 26. Coloring. 27. Locality. 28. Order. 29. 
Calculation. 30. Eventuality. 31. Time. 32. Tune. 33. Ar- 
tificial language. 

GENUS III.— Reflective Faculties. 
34. Comparison. 35. Causality. 



158 

To take a comparative view of these distin- 
guished philosophers, and to say which was the 
greater of the two, Gall or Spurzheim, is a task 
that we leave for abler hands to perform. Both 
had their points of strength and originality, and 
they both excelled in whatever they attempted 
to accomplish. To express a preference is 
not to decide the question, and when we evince 
our partiality for Spurzheim as a philosopher, we 
merely give an individual opinion. His views, in 
our estimation, are more philosophic than those 
of Gall ; more consistent and more practical. 
Spurzheim carefully studied all the parts of the 
science with reference to each other, and aimed 
at a perfect whole. Gall did not do so much. 

That Spurzheim was superior to Gall as an 
anatomist, we believe all admit. This indeed was 
to have been expected, since he made anatomy his 
particular study, while Gall attended mostly to phy- 
siology. ' Gall said to me,' says Spurzheim, in one 
of his works published in Paris, 1 820, i on the 5th 
of March, 1805, on the day of our departure from 
Vienna, Let us prosecute our original plan hon- 
orably, you Spurzheim as an anatomist and I 
(Gall) as the Physiologist.' 

Even Gall himself, in the preface of their large 
work (1809) says, 'Dr. Spurzheim, who for a 
long time had been familiar with the physiologi- 
cal part of my doctrine, and who was particularly 
expert in anatomical researches, and in the dissec- 



159 

tion of the brain, formed the design of accom- 
panying and of pursuing in common with me the 
investigations which had for their end the anato- 
my and physiology of the whole nervous system.' 

We mention these particulars, as there seems 
to have been a degree of uncertainty in the mind 
of some writers with respect to the chaiacter of 
Spurzheim's connexion with Gall. 

As a christian, Dr. Spurzheim will ever be re- 
membered with respect and admiration. His life 
was a model of Christian excellence, and it was 
eminently calculated to inspire reverence for the 
doctrines of our Saviour. He was not a blind 
partizan, searching for evidences that would favor 
party views, but he always listened with great 
kindness and attention to any proposition that was 
made to him, and received or rejected it according 
to plain reason. To those who would exclude 
reason from the dominion of religion, he said, 
1 Reason is the noble gift by which the Creator 
has distinguished man from all other animated 
things. God, who is all wisdom and all reason, 
could never create man in his own likeness, as it 
is said he did, and then forbid the employment of 
the very faculties which must form a principal 
feature in the resemblance.' 

' Whatever particular form of faith he may have 
preferred, he firmly believed in the essential truths 
of natural and revealed religion. He adopted 
Christianity as a divine system, chiefly on the 



160 

ground of its great internal evidence, its perfect 
adaptation to human nature, and the spirit of 
truth and divine philanthropy, which gives life to 
all its precepts. All morality, he thought, was 
contained in those two precepts, Thou shalt love 
the Lord thy God, and thy neighbor as thyself. 
All prayers, he thought, were comprised in this 
one, { Father, thy will be done.' * 

It was his opinion that the Americans were too 
much engaged in doctrinal controversies to al- 
low the full effect of Christianity to appear in 
their lives. He said, that he had lived under 
limited and absolute monarchies, but he had never 
been under such restraints with respect to his re- 
ligious opinions, as he was in this country. ' On 
almost every Monday,' said' he, 'the questions 
are asked, ' Did you attend church yesterday ? 
Who did you hear ? How did you like ? What 
do you think of his doctrines ? &x.' 

With regard to religion in the United States, Dr. 
Spurzheim says in his Journal, c I do not like the 
system of religion in England and America. The 
rich have their places in their churches, but 
what shall the poor do ? There is more aristocracy 
than in Germany, or France. The American 
Churchdom is a worldly concern. Carpets, velvet 
cushions, and curtains are worldly things.' 

As but few read the same language alike, we 

* Prof. Follen. 



161 

place the views of Dr. Spurzheim in relation to 
Christianity in his own words, leaving it for every 
individual to judge for himself of their import and 
tendency. The following extracts are from his 
various works. 

' However delicate the object of religion may 
be, I do not hesitate to examine it, placing truth 
above any other consideration, relying on the de- 
crees of the all-wise Creator, and being convinced 
that truth is the corner-stone of human happiness, 
and that true Christianity will gain by free inves- 
tigation.' 

' But reason tells us that religious belief must 
work on kindness, reverence, justice in prac- 
tice, and that religion cannot exclude intellect 
and moral conduct. It also tells us that any re- 
ligious creed that does not tend to the glory of 
God and the general good of man, is objection- 
able and may degenerate to demonism. Doc- 
trines which are contradictory in themselves, or 
contradict common sense, must be surrounded 
with awe and imposed ; this is expedient to selfish 
or superstitious theologians, but it is not in con- 
formity with reason and pure Christianity. Rea- 
son cannot deny the reality of revelation ; and it 
even finds in it a great motive of moral conduct. 5 

1 It would have been more profitable to mankind 
at large, if the teachers of religion had been pen- 
etrated with the superiority of pure Christianity, 
and if they had followed the example of their 
w 



162 

great model. Reason perfectly agrees with the 
precepts, to refer every thing to God as the first 
cause ; to venerate his almighty power and provi- 
dence ; to submit to his decrees and arrangement 
of things ; to feel gratitude for his benevolence, 
and to adore him in truth and in spirit.' 

6 Our religion or union with God or liking 
to him, then, only consists in exertions of such 
powers which constitute our higher nature. In 
unfolding and enlarging these powers we truly 
honor God. Nothing foreign to our original 
constitution can be required from us, and the 
cultivation of our rational and moral existence is 
evidently the noblest tribute we can render to 
our Creator and the end of our Godlike nature.' 

' Whoever believes in the existence of God, 
should consider religion as the most important 
object of his reflections, and being personally con- 
cerned in this respect, his union with God should 
be left free from human authority, particularly 
from the spirit of those who have seized upon it 
as their particular property.' 

Meanwhile, it is certain that they only usurp 
the name of Christians, who by their enactments 
prove that their sole aim is individual happiness ; 
or, who strive after riches and worldly distinctions, 
and other advancement of their private estates ; 
or, who live at the expense of others ; or, finally, 
who are apt enough to laud, but ever ready to act 
in contradiction to the precepts of Christianity. 



163 

It is, indeed, blasphemous to bear the title of 
Christian without acting up to the sacred duties 
it requires. Let us, therefore, in acknowledging 
the purity of Christian morality, put into practice, 
before we dare to arrogate the noble name of 
Christians.' 

' Those, therefore, who would make exceptions 
and say, Follow my words and not my deeds, have 
no title to give rules of action to the community, 
or to superintend their practice. How noble was 
the saying of Christ in reference to this point, 
" If 1 do not the works of my Father, believe me 
not." ' 

1 How superior and noble are the principles of 
Christianity ; they prohibit anger, hatred and re- 
venge, and order him not to return evil for evil, 
they command forgiveness for every offence seven 
times in a day, and seventy-times seven, if asked 
for ; to love our enemies ; to bless them that curse 
us, and to do good to them that hate us. They 
interdict all selfish passions, and declare our 
neighbors every one who does the will of God.' 

< True Christianity will gain, by every step 
which is made in the knowledge of man.' 

1 Christian principles are not sufficiently exer- 
cised in society, yet it is not, on this account, con- 
sidered superfluous to teach them ; and he who 
loves mankind will wish for their promulgation.' 

\ Gospel-preaching is infinite, but many of those 
who deliver exquisite sermons are too often obliged 



164 

to add, Do what I say, and not what I do. Now 
if they they themselves show no faith by their 
works, how can they expect others to do so ? 

'As Christianity evidently tends to unite all 
men in the presence of God, it appears to me, 
that we are entitled to reject every interpretation 
of any passage of the gospel which does not agree 
with general peace. The superiority of the Chris- 
tian principles of morality, is proved and recom- 
mended by their good effects ; and, in this way, 
belief is converted into conviction. 5 

c Now, the general aim of all legislation ought 
to be the happiness of mankind, combined, as far 
as possible, with that of each individual ; or, in the 
language of Phrenology, it ought to be to estab- 
lish the natural morality, confirmed by true Chris- 
tianity.' 

' Man being positively endowed with moral and 
religious feelings as well as with vegetative func- 
tions and intellectual faculties, it is my business to 
speak of the former as well as of the latter. Nay, 
true religion is central truth, and all knowledge, 
in my opinion, should be gathered round it.' 

' Have men any right mutually to imploy their 
wills as rules of moral conduct ? They most cer- 
tainly have not. There is but one will that ought 
to be done, the will of God, and this, in morality, 
commands imperiously to man, i Thou shalt love 
thy neighbor as thyself* 

1 May the doctrine of Morality become a science ? 



165 

There can be no doubt it may by studying the 
laws of the Creator, and by comparing them with 
pure Christianity.' 

' Phrenology being true, can it be in opposition to 
pure Christianity? 

This is impossible, as no truth either physical or 
moral can be in opposition to any other. Chris- 
tianity and Phrenology, when well understood, will 
give mutual assistance to each other.' 

' Is the Phrenologist entitled to speak of Chris- 
tianity, and if so, how far? 

The Phrenologist has the right to examine 
whether Christianity is adapted to the innate dis- 
positions of man, and he is delighted in seeing it 
in perfect harmony with the human nature.' 

' What can be the end of true religion ? 

The glory of God, and the good of man.' * 

In no place are the pre-eminent claims of 
Spurzheim as a man, as a philosopher and as a 
Christian, more fully known and appreciated than 
in Edinburgh. There, talent and industry have 
been devoted to the study of his doctrines, with 
a zeal which reflects honor upon science and 
upon man. We therefore think it appropriate 
to close our biography with the following ex- 
tracts from the proceedings of the Edinburgh 
Phrenological Society, December 13, 1832, in re- 
lation to his death. 

* Philosophical Catechism of the Natural Laws of Man. 



166 

James Simpson, Esq. in the chair. — After the 
discussion on the papers read to the meeting, the 
President addressed the Society in nearly the fol- 
lowing words : — 

' Gentlemen, — During the twelve years of this 
society's existence, no communication has ever 
been made to it so afflicting as that which it is 
now my painful duty to make to you. Dr. Spurz- 
heim is no more ? He died of fever, brought on 
by over-exertion in his great vocation, at Boston 
in the United States, on the 10th day of last 
month. 

6 The death of Dr. Gall, the great founder of 
phrenology, was not without its alleviations. He 
had run his course, had done all that seemed in 
the decrees of the All-wise, allotted him on earth 
to do, and fell like a shock of corn fully ripe. 
Above all, Dr. Spurzheim his great pupil survived, 
heir of all his master's wealth, and richer than 
even that master in treasures of his own. But 
Dr. Spurzheim himself is now snatched away in 
the midst of his usefulness, at the summit of his 
power, about to pour the true philosophy of man, 
like a flood of light on the transatlantic world, this 
is indeed a blow almost devoid of alleviation. 

' And yet hope deserts us not. To his own 
genius we owe the discovery of the organ of Hope, 
and a beautiful exposition of its functions. As 
we bend over his early grave, a ray breaks forth 
even from that dark abode. America has cele- 



167 

brated his obsequies with public honors, and ranks 
him with the illustrious dead. Europe will sanc- 
tion the award. His philosophic page will live, 
and even pride and prejudice will look into the 
philosophy, when the philosopher whom they 
shunned when alive, is no more. Galileo, New 
ton, and Harvey, were all destined to teach from 
the tomb ; so are Spurzheim and Gall. They too 
are among the great departed, " who are dead yet 
speak," and many a kindred genius will yet arise 
to listen to their voice. The minds already la- 
boring in the great work, by them bequeathed, 
will be stimulated by the very thought that they 
are bereft of their leaders. A hand to grasp all 
the inheritance may not be ; but there does live 
a prophet who will wear gracefully the mantle that 
has now descended upon him. May all of us, how- 
ever humbly each, make redoubled exertions, to 
do that which our teacher would have urged us to 
do with his dying accents ; promote by all that in us 
lies the cause for which he lived and in which he 
died. His labors were as expansive as they were 
indefatigable, no scope was too great for them ; 
he had gone to add the new world to the old in 
one wide empire of truth. Alas ! that America's 
first tribute to her illustrious guest should be a 
grave, and a monument ! Be her's the care and 
custody of his honored remains ; the spirit of his 
genius is every where ; his memory is the cher- 
ished legacy of the human race.' 



168 

Mr. Combe then read to the society a letter 
dated New York, November 16, 1832, from Rob- 
ert Mc Kibbin, M. D. detailing the particulars of 
Dr. Spurzheim's death, and another letter dated 
Boston, Nov. 15, 1832, from Mr. Nahum Capen, 
to a similar effect. 

The following resolutions were moved by Mr. 
Combe, seconded by Mr. Dun, and adopted unani- 
mously. 

' First, that this society have heard the commu- 
nication now made, with sentiments of the most 
heartfelt regret. While they deplore the prema- 
ture death of Dr. Spurzheim, as by far the great- 
est loss which the philosophy of mind and man 
can in their present state sustain, they lament it 
as an especial bereavement to themselves of a 
valued and beloved benefactor and friend. 

c Secondly, that this society feel deeply, and, 
considering their intimate and affectionate rela- 
tion to the illustrious deceased, gratefully, the in- 
tense concern manifested by the citizens of Boston, 
over his sick-bed, the public sorrow for his loss, 
and the intended honors to his remains, and his 
memory, and they experience comfort in the re- 
flection, since it was in the Divine decrees that 
that great man was so soon to be taken away, 
that he did finish his mortal career in the midst of 
a people enlightened enough to discern his distin- 
guished talents and worth, and duly to appreciate 
the philosophy which he had come among them 
to teach.' 



PHRENOLOGY, 



IN CONNEXION WITH THE 



STUDY OF PHYSIOGNOMY. 



-^'K 



INTRODUCTION. 



The word Physiognomy, considered etymologi- 
cally, signifies the knowledge of nature at large. 
Sometimes, however, it is employed to designate 
the configuration, and, even more commonly, the 
expression of the countenance. In another sense, 
again, it is used to imply a knowledge of the 
external signs which proclaim internal qualities. 
It is in the latter acceptation that I shall employ 
the term in this volume. 

Entire nature, therefore, may be comprehended 
in the study of physiognomy ; inanimate objects 
as well as living beings are included : there 
is, for instance, a physiognomy of the heavens: 
some forms and characters of clouds portend 
wind, certain others rain, others thunder, others 
fine weather, &c. 

Again, the husbandman judges by the aspect 
of the soil whether it be dry or wet, light or 
heavy, rich or poor, adapted to the production 
of wheat, barley, grass, potatoes, or fruit-trees. 

In botany, too, a very important branch, viz, 
1 



judgment in regard to the healthy or diseased 
state of plants, depends on the observance of ex- 
ternal signs. The gardener regards that tree as 
weak which begins to lose its leaves at the end 
of the branches. 

Guided by their appearance, we choose or 
reject apples, oranges, and other fruits. We fre- 
quently say : This pear, or this orange has a 
nice look — it seems to be good. 

The qualities of animals, moreover, are exhi- 
bited in their physiognomy. Celerity is visible 
in the configuration of the roe, sluggishness in 
that of the bear ; innocence in the countenance 
of the lamb, and general activity in the rapid 
motions of the monkey's eyes. 

Medical men speak of consumptive or apo- 
plectic conformations of body ; they judge of 
the corporeal state, in regard to health or dis- 
ease, by the heat and appearance of the skin, 
by the pulse and respiration, by the countenance 
and other external signs. 

The muscular configuration of the Hercules, 
as indicating strength, and the graceful figure of 
the Hebe, are generally admired. Finally, the 
affective and intellectual characters of man, in 
the healthy and diseased states, are proclaimed 
by physiognomical signs. In looking around us, 
we distinguish, as by intuition, the benevolent, 
candid, and modest individual from another who 
is cruel, artful, and haughty. 



A man, full of candor and probity, says Mar- 
cus Aurelius, spreads around him a perfume of a 
characteristic nature ; his soul and character are 
seen in his face and in his eyes. 

Persons without education, who have no recol- 
lection of ever having heard of physiognomy, 
nay children and animals, are physiognomists. 
Even they who oppose the study of physiognomy 
frequently make use of its language ; they speak, 
for instance, of noble, fierce, severe, bold, placid, 
thinking, benevolent, and open countenances ; of 
the exterior of a priest, philosopher, fool, knave, 
&c. ; they say, I like the look of that person ; 
or, I could not place any confidence on such a 
man, &c* 

Moreover, poets and philosophers, both of an 
cient and modern times, have always made use 
of many physiognomical expressions. Solomon 
said : ' A haughty person, a wicked man, walks 
with a froward mouth, he winks with his eyes, he 
speaks with his feet, he teaches with his fingers. '* 
Ecclesiasticus observed, ' that the heart of a man 
changes his countenance, whether it be for good 
or for evil ; and a merry heart makes a cheerful 
countenance,'! ' The envious man has a wicked 
eye, he turns away his face and despises man.'t 
' A man may be known by his look, and one that 

* Prov. vi. 12, 13. t Ecclus. xiii. 29. t Ecclus. xiv. 8. 



4 



has understanding by his countenance, when thou 
meetest him.'* — Aristotle looked for external 
signs in the configuration and motions of the 
bodily parts. Cicero, Leibnitz, Herder, and 
many other ancient and modern writers have 
treated of this subject. ' You will make a choice, 5 
says Montaigne, * between persons who are un- 
known to you ; you will prefer one to another, 
and this not on account of mere beauty of form. 
Some faces are agreeable, others unpleasant. 
There is an art of knowing the look of good- 
natured, weak-minded, wicked, melancholic, and 
other persons.' Bacon classed physiognomy 
among the sciences, and remarked that it was 
founded on observation, and ought to be cul- 
tivated as a branch of natural history. Lava- 
ter acquired great reputation by his physiognom- 
ical investigations. Finally, painters, sculptors, 
actors, and all who play their parts in society 
at large, must feel anxious to learn something 
of such a subject. 

Is it not then astonishing that this science 
should consist of mere isolated observations still 
unreduced to principles ? Every one is conscious 
of the various impressions made on him by others, 
but no one can in any wise account for them. 

The question then is, whether or not it be pos- 
sible, by observation and induction, to determine 

*Eccles. xiv. 29. 



physiognomical signs, in regard to the fundamen- 
tal powers of the mind ? Lavater, who wrote 
fragments on physiognomy, and who styles him- 
self a fragment of a physiognomist, maintains, 
nevertheless, that physiognomy exists as a true 
science. With this opinion of Lavater I agree 
entirely. 

Let us, therefore, begin by determining where- 
in the study of the physiognomical signs of the 
affective and intellectual faculties of man consists. 
Whether, for instance, the respective signs are 
to be sought for in the size and configuration of 
the hard parts, or in the motions of the soft and 
flexible ones ? This distinction between signs 
dependent on configuration and organic constitu- 
tion, and those emanating from gestures and mo- 
tions, is essential to the establishment of prin- 
ciples. Signs of the first kind proclaim innate 
dispositions and capacities of action. They con- 
stitute the study of physiognomy, strictly speaking. 
Signs of the second kind, again, indicate powers 
in action, and constitute what is called pathogno- 
my, or natural language. The latter description 
of signs is not included in the plan of this work ; 
it will be examined in a separate treatise : at 
present I treat of the physiognomical signs alone. 

Whilst some who cultivate physiognomy look 
for signs over the whole of the body, others 
search for them in particular parts of it only. 
Lavater conceived it possible to discover physi- 



ognomieal signs of the affective and intellectual 
powers in the whole body. He declares posi- 
tively, that the same force builds up every part; 
that such an eye supposes such a forehead and 
such a beard ; in short, that each isolated part 
indicates the configuration of the whole, as, for 
example, that all parts are oval if the head pre- 
sent that form : hence that man is a unit, and 
that his size, form, color, hair, nose, mouth, 
skin, ears, hands, feet, bones, muscles, arteries, 
veins, nerves, voice, affections, passions, &c. are 
all and ever in harmony with each other. 

According to this hypothesis, an unsightly per- 
son ought to be the concomitant of an unenvia- 
ble soul. The contrary of this, however, is ob- 
served every day. Esop and Socrates are proofs 
that a fine form is not necessary to greatness of 
talent and to generosity of feeling. Indeed, 
Euripides, Plutarch, and Seneca have long ago 
maintained the inaccuracy of such an opinion. 
Lavater himself was obliged to acknowledge, that 
ungainly forms are sometimes combined with hon- 
esty of character, and that individuals, beautiful 
and well-proportioned, are occasionally deceitful. 
* I have often seen (says he) a contradiction 
between the solid and flexible parts, and every 
one may possess certain qualities, without the 
respective signs.' He, therefore, admits excep- 
tions, and his assertions contradict each other. 

This, however, is not the case in nature. She 



makes no exceptions from her laws, and is never 
in contradiction with herself. Moreover, the 
individual parts of the body are not proportionate 
to each other. The head of Pericles was too 
large for his body, hence the ancient artists who 
made his bust thought it necessary to conceal 
this disproportion by covering the head with a 
helmet. On the other hand, small heads are 
often found upon large bodies. There is occasion- 
ally a resemblance observable between tjhe nose, 
mouth, or some other part of different individ- 
uals, whilst all the rest of their persons is ex- 
tremely unlike. Now, as every part has its par- 
ticular function, and as each part indicates its 
special dispositions, it is impossible to find in any 
one part physiognomical sign of the functions 
performed by any other part whatever. 

It will be sufficient for my purpose merely to 
mention the error committed by those writers 
who, after La Porte, Lebrun, and others, compare 
the human face with that of certain animals. 
These comparisons, like fortune-telling and chiro- 
mancy, or the interpretation of moral dispositions 
from the form of the hand, are to be classed among 
the aberrations of the human understanding. 

Innumerable observations have proved, that 
the affective and intellectual faculties, as innate 
dispositions, are manifested by various parts of 
the brain. Hence the physiognomical signs of 
these faculties are to be sought for in the size and 



8 



organic constitution of the cerebral parts. Sev- 
eral physiognomists, particularly Lavater, have 
already pointed out a few general signs of this 
kind in the configuration of the whole head, and in 
that of the forehead ; but it is necessary to do 
more than this, viz. to determine individually the 
parts appropriated to, and the signs of the special 
faculties, and also of the several combinations 
of these which constitute determinate characters. 

From numerous observations it further results, 
that not the size only, but also the organic con- 
stitution of the cerebral parts, must be taken 
into consideration before physiognomical signs of 
the mental operations can be established. They 
who attend to the mere size of the organs, and 
they who derive all from the influence of bodily 
constitution, or temperament, as it is called, are 
equally in error. For information in regard to 
the temperaments, I refer to my work on phre- 
nology.* 

In this, as in every other subject of inquiry, it 
is important to distinguish between theory and 
practice. The true principles of a science maybe 
established, but those who apply them may err. 

Lavater avows that he often made mistakes, and 
that he met with many persons in whom he could 
discover no particular sign whatever. Neverthe- 
less, he was persuaded of the reality of physiog- 

* Page 30. 



nomy as a science. The art of surgery is posi- 
tive, yet there cannot be a doubt but that legs 
have been amputated which might have been 
saved ; and in the practice of their art, all surgeons 
have not the same dexterity. Every physician has 
not equal facility in distinguishing diseases ; the 
healing art, nevertheless, exists. The adversaries 
of phrenology are sedulous, and ready enough in 
exposing the errors which Dr. Gall and I and our 
disciples have committed, but they carefully ab- 
stain from all mention of the numerous facts 
which we cite in support of our opinions. I do 
not conceive that phrenology has reached perfec- 
tion now, nor do I hope that its application, even 
when perfect, will always be without error. 1 
have frequently been obliged to rectify my judg- 
ment, but I always endeavor to profit by my 
mistakes. If the study of physiognomy is to be 
abandoned, because they who practice it have 
committed errors, there is no art or science which 
should not, for a like reason, be given up.. Is 
there any chemist, physician, general, artist, law- 
yer, or priest, who can say that he has never erred 
in the practice of his profession ? 

Let us observe farther, that in the study of 
physiognomy, as of every other science, there are 
few who take pleasure in reflecting on its prin- 
ciples. Man is naturally more disposed to ad- 
mire the effects of an ingenious machine than to 
examine the mechanical laws according to which 



10 



it is constructed. He likes better to visit a col- 
lection of butterflies than to inquire into the laws 
of nature, and would rather see the passions in 
action upon the stage, than search for their causes 
in the world around him* 

The figures of any work that contains plates 
almost certainly attract attention first; and its 
contents, if philosophical, are always examined 
last of all. J. J. Rousseau, in saying that the 
state of reflection is unnatural to man, and that 
he who reflects is a depraved animal, had pro- 
bably remarked, that the great majority of man- 
k nd are afraid of study, that they prefer amuse- 
ment to instruction, and individual knowledge to 
reasoning. 

Practical knowledge, all must allow, is import- 
ant, but it ought to be combined with principles. 
My object is to teach both theory and prac- 
tice. 

The subject of this volume is a practical appli- 
cation of phrenology, which will, at the same 
time, illustrate and aid in proving the science. 
To study nature by means of figures and artificial 
representations is less certain and less agreeable 
than to observe her in herself. Yet the informa- 
tion conveyed by delineations of forms is more 
ample and more accurate than can be communi- 
cated by mere description. Hence those who 
would become phrenologists, derive far the great- 
est advantage from a course of practical lectures, 



11 



although the same number of forms be not there 
shewn as are, or may be, mentioned in books. 
The reason of this is, that notions of size and 
form can scarcely be acquired from any descrip- 
tion, whilst they are gained at once by means of 
the touch and sight. 

Moreover, reading does not excite the same 
degree of attention as demonstration. In read- 
ing, for instance, of differences between the heads 
and brains of carnivorous and herbivorous ani- 
mals, the attention is less fixed than when the 
actual heads and brains are placed before us, and 
their points of difference are ascertained by the 
eye and the hand. Finally, ocular demonstra- 
tion has more weight, and carries conviction more 
forcibly with it than a mere report. 

Those of my readers who incline to interest 
themselves in the study and scientific discussion 
of the principles of phrenology, I must refer 
to the respective publications on that science, 
and on the philosophy of which it forms the 
basis. Here I confine myself to historical facts, 
which, if true, will occur and be observed again. 
Let those, therefore, who would see with their 
own eyes, observe individuals distinguished by 
peculiarity of character or greatness of talents, 
and examine the size and configuration of the 
concomitant heads, and they will find that nature 
is not influenced by false and subtle argumenta- 
tions. 



12 



I shall subdivide this, the first part of the work, 
into two sections. In the first I shall make 
some observations on bodily configuration and 
organic constitution generally, in connexion with 
adaptation to peculiar functions ; on the differ- 
ence in the heads and faces of individuals, whose 
characters are opposed to each other ; and on the 
difference between the heads of the sexes and of 
different nations ; in the second, I shall compare 
the characters of various individuals, with the 
accompanying cerebral organization. 

In order to escape all cabalistic quibbling on 
the part of adversaries, I repeat once more, that 
the size of the brain is not the only condition 
which gives energy to its functions ; but that the 
bodily constitution, and the exercise, and the mu- 
tual influence of the faculties also modify their 
activity. I repeat, too, that I make a distinction 
between innate dispositions and the activity they 
possess, and also between signs of dispositions 
and signs of their activity. 1 add, that I treat in 
this place of physiognomical signs only, i, e. of 
signs which indicate innate dispositions. 



13 



SECTION I. 

Of the Physiognomical Signs of the Body, Face, 
and Head in general. 

It is scarcely necessary to remark, that the or- 
ganization of the body being destined to certain 
functions, must act with more or less energy and 
facility, according as the conditions necessary 
inhere in its nature ; for this is only saying, that 
there is a relation between a cause and its effect. 
The discovery of the conditions which are neces- 
sary to the performance of function is the object 
of physiognomical research. This section will be 
found subdivided into three chapters : the first of 
these treats of the body, the second of the face, 
and the third of the head. 



CHAPTER I. 

Of the Physiognomical Signs of the Body. 

The physiognomical signs of the body are of two 
kinds : they relate to the size and configuration 
of the body, or they concern its intimate consti- 
tution. 



14 






I. — Of the size and Configuration of the Body. 

The influence of the body on its functions, and 
the external signs which indicate more or less fa- 
cility of acting are generally enough recognised. 
f Short and thick limbs are commonly considered 
as signs of strength, long and slender limbs as 
indications of celerity. A courier must have 
good lungs, a blacksmith muscular arms, and so 
on. The graceful and delicate form of an Anti- 
nous can never be supposed capable of the labors 
for which the ponderous figures of a Hercules 
and a Milo proclaim their fitness. No artist will 
ever conceive Jupiter with a misshapen Faun or 
a Cyclops for his cupbearer. The bodily con- 
figuration of an actor is of great importance to 
the effective representation of many characters. 
It appears evident then, that certain sizes and 
forms of the body have been felt as fitting it for 
the performance of particular functions. But it 
may still be asked, whether the qualities of the 
body at large indicate the affective and intellec- 
tual dispositions ? Experience proves that they 
do not : sentiments and talents bear no kind of 
relation to the size and form of the whole body ; 
nay, it would even seem that very tall men are 
commonly less gifted with understanding than per- 
sons of middling size* 



w 



II. — Of the Organic Constitution or Temperament 
of the Body, 

The detailed consideration of the influence of the 
organic constitution of the body belongs to phy- 
siology. Here I only mention that I employ the 
word temperament in reference to mixtures of the 
constituent elements of the body. /There can be 
no doubt but the functions which contribute par- 
ticularly to nutrition, those, for instance, of the 
stomach, liver, intestines, lungs, heart, as they 
are in a healthy or diseased state, modify the 
whole organization, and influence the energy with 
which the individual parts act. ) Sometimes it 
would appear as if the vital power were con- 
centrated in one system, to the detriment of all* 
the others. The muscular or athletic constitu- 
tion is often possessed of very little nervous sen- 
sibility ; and, on the other hand, great activity of 
the brain seems frequently to check muscular de- 
velopment. 

Thus it is important, in a physiological point of 
view, to take into account the peculiar constitu- 
tion or temperament of individuals, not as the 
cause of determinate faculties, but as influencing 
the energy with which the special functions of 
the several organs are manifested. Their activ- 
ity, generally is diminished by disorder in the 
functions of vegetative life, and it is favored by 



16 



the sanguine, and still more by the nervous, con- 
stitution./ A lymphatic, a sanguine, a bilious, and 
a nervous temperament, are therefore spoken of 
with perfect propriety^ as indicating four degrees 
of activity in the vegetative and phrenic func- 
tions ; but determinate faculties of the mind are 
erroneously ascribed to individual temperaments ; 
memory, for instance, and sensuality to the san- 
guine constitution, irascibility and penetration to 
the bilious, and so on. 

In the sense just mentioned I admit four tem- 
peraments, in reference to the manifestation of 
the mental powers. 

1. The lymphatic constitution, or phlegmatic 
temperament, is indicated by a pale white skin, 
fair hair, roundness of form, and repletion of the 
cellular tissue. The flesh is soft, the vital actions 
are languid, the pulse is feeble ; all indicates slow- 
ness and weakness in the vegetative, affective, 
and intellectual functions. PI. i. fig. 1. 

2. The sanguine temperament is proclaimed by 
a tolerable consistency of flesh, moderate plump- 
ness of parts, light or chestnut hair, blue eyes, 
great activity of the arterial system, a strong, full, 
and frequent pulse, and an animated counte- 
nance. Persons thus constituted are easily af- 
fected by external impressions, and possess greater 
energy than those of the former temperament. 
PL i. fig. 2. 

3. The bilious temperament is characterised bv 



TIL 




Fig.l 



Fie?. 9. 





Fi'4.4 




B.EKdel 



Annin.£mit)i SC60 '$£ith * 



J.. 

f 



17 



black hair, a dark, yellowish, or brown skin, 
black eyes, moderately full, but firm muscles, and 
harshly-expressed forms. Those endowed with 
this constitution have a strongly marked and de- 
cided expression of countenance ; they manifest 
great general activity, and functional energy. PL 
i. fig. 3, Brutus. 

4. The external signs of the nervous tempera- 
ment are fine thin hair, delicate health, general 
emaciation, and smallness of the muscles, rapid- 
ity in the muscular actions, vivacity in the sen- 
sations. The nervous system of individuals so 
constituted, preponderates extremely, and they 
exhibit great nervous sensibility. PI. i. fig. 4, 
Montesquieu. 

These four/temperaments are seldom to be ob- 
served pure and unmixed ; it is even difficult to 
meet them without modifications. They are mostly 
found conjoined, and occur as lymphatic-san- 
guine, lymphatic-bilious, sanguine-lymphatic, san- 
guine-bilious, sanguine-nervous, bilious-lymphatic, 
bilious-sanguine, bilious-nervous, &c. The indi- 
vidual temperaments which predominate may be 
determined, but it is difficult to point out every 
modification. 

III. — On the Physiognomical Signs of the Body of 

the Sexes. 

The signs which characterise the bodies of both 
3 



J 8 



sexes are examined in many anatomical and phy- 
siological works : these may therefore be con- 
sulted by those who would study this branch in 
detail. A few general observations will answer 
my purpose here: The female body is generally 
smaller, and more delicate than the male ; the 
extremities too are shorter and proportionately 
more slender, the projections of the bones less 
marked, the neck apparently longer, in conse- 
quence of the shoulders drooping considerably, 
the larynx less prominent, the clavicle less curved, 
the chest shorter but more expanded, the sternum 
shorter but broader, the lumbar vertebrae longer, 
the abdomen larger, the necks of the thigh bones 
longer and more transverse, and the pelvis rela- 
tively more capacious in the female, than in the 
male. If the female body be placed between 
two parallel lines drawn so as just to include the 
chest, the pelvis will be seen to extend beyond 
them (PL ii. fig. 3.) ; whilst the male body sim- 
ilarly circumstanced, will have its pelvis contained 
within the lines, and the shoulders projecting be- 
yond them. (PL ii. fig. 4.) Thus the chest is rel- 
atively wider in man, the pelvis in woman. More- 
over, in the female constitution the lymphatic 
and cellular systems predominate ; the figure, 
therefore, is rounder, the parts softer, the whole 
more graceful and pliant than the male form, the 
general exterior of which is marked by angular- 
ity and hardness or boldness of outline. The 



Fin 





Tz#2. 



JTyl 




Fia.3. 




Tip* 



sen: del. 



Aririin , Smith <$C O'o s It Th. 



19 



bodies of both sexes, then, being destined by na- 
ture to different functions, are modified accord- 
ingly ; and he whose eye is somewhat exercised 
in appreciating forms, will at once detect the fe- 
male in male, and the male in female, attire. 

There can be no necessity for multiplying proofs 
upon this subject. The truth of my proposition 
is indeed generally admitted, and 1 only mention 
the matter here, for the sake of bringing it into 
connexion with new considerations. 



CHAPTER II. 

On the Physiognomical Signs of the Face. 

We are all in the habit of examining features and 
countenances ; artists, especially, pay particular 
attention to such points, and it is generally ad- 
mitted that no two faces are exactly alike. Shall 
we inquire, then, are there certain faces which 
correspond with individual characters? In order 
to have a right apprehension of this subject, it will 
be necessary to call to mind the difference which 
has been established between physiognomical and 
pathognomical signs. This done, we can then 
say positively, that neither does the configuration 
of the whole face, nor of any of its parts, except 
as development of brain is concerned, indicate the 



20 



dispositions of the mind ; the same character and 
the same talents may be observed in persons of 
different size and form, or whose nose, mouth, 
chin, cheeks, &c. are extremely different ; and on 
the other hand, individuals endowed with different 
talents may often be seen who bear a strong re- 
semblance to each other. Individuals with beau- 
tiful, plain, and ugly faces may be eminent indif- 
ferently in virtue, or in vice. The nose and cheeks 
of the wisest of men, Socrates, certainly exhibit 
no sign of superiority. In order to show the er- 
roneous proceeding of those who confound the 
configuration of the face with the movements of 
its soft parts, I shall copy some figures from the 
work of Lavater, and add his judgment upon them. 

PL iii. presents portraits of four persons of su- 
perior talents : fig. 1 . is Vesalius ; fig, 2. Gessner ; 
fig. 3. Descartes, and fig. 4. an individual not 
named by Lavater. These four faces and their 
individual parts are certainly very unlike each 
other ; but let us see what Lavater thinks of them.* 
The portrait of Vesalius, says he, deserves the 
attention of an enlightened physiognomist. The 
nose alone indicates a sound and solid judgment, 
or, in better terms, is inseparable from good sense. 

In the profile of John Gessner, Lavater found 
the expression of the deepest judgment, of im- 



Fragment vii. The Study of the Intellectual Physiognomies. 



riw. 




jfec' -■:.. 




***»&* 



Ftffl. 



Fig. 



O 




Tig. 3. 



Ticf.4 



BFN del 



An>un , Sraith&Cc 's Lilh.- 



21 



mense learning, of extraordinary facility in deter- 
mining with precision the objects of the senses 
by abstract signs ; of an astonishing capacity for 
arrangement and classification, of superior talents 
for comparing objects, of an excellent, benevolent 
character, great modesty, exemplary patience, 
strong probity and truly christian sentiments. 

The portrait of Descartes, according to Lava- 
ter, proclaims one of the greatest geniuses, one 
of those who owe every thing to themselves, who 
are constantly urged forward, and maintained by 
their own powers, who remove obstacles and im- 
pediments of every description, opening up new 
paths, and occupying unknown fields. 

Of the fourth figure Lavater says, it is impos- 
sible to comprehend the judgment of this man. 
His views are exceedingly precise. He can ex- 
amine objects mediately or immediately, his opin- 
ion is always clear, and the most suitable expres- 
sions indicate his ideas. He readily recollects 
external impressions, and learns with ease the 
most difficult languages. Moreover his judgment 
is sound and excellent. The most perfect wisdom 
shines in his look, and appears in the form of his 
nose. 

Now as the chins, lips, cheeks and noses of 
these four illustrious persons present very different 
configurations, 1 think that Lavater's opinion of 
their talents and characters was formed from the 
expression produced by the motions of the soft 



22 



parts ; that is, from pathognomical signs, rather 
than from the configuration of the different mem- 
bers of their faces. The language of Lavater is 
obviously always vague ; he seldom or never spe- 
cifies the particular form of the part on which he 
founds his judgment. 

Yet it is true that certain forms of face do agree 
better than others with certain characters. This, 
however, happens not because configuration of 
face produces character, but because configura- 
tion of face is an effect of the agency of certain 
natural laws with which this is of course in har- 
mony. The artist, therefore, requires to design 
his figures in harmony with the characters he 
would express ; to portray a severe and unbend- 
ing character, he will certainly never choose the 
head of a Madonna as the medium for embodying 
his conception ; neither will he, with the view of 
exhibiting the mild and gentle character of a Saint 
John, ever fix on such a form as that of a Pope 
Gregory VII, (PL xx. fig. 1.) The countenance 
of an actor is also admitted to harmonize or to 
disagree with the particular characters he may 
perform. Nevertheless, it remains certain that 
the same character is to be observed in conjunc- 
tion with very dissimilar faces, and that the char- 
acter by no means depends on the configuration 
of the face, although the face and character har- 
monize, just as do all the parts of a good picture. 
In a landscape, for instance, if all the objects on 



23 

shore indicate tranquillity and repose, the sea is 
never represented as agitated by a tempest. 

Of the Faces of the Sexes, 

It is not by the beard only that the male is dis- 
tinguished from the female face. This part, like 
the body in general, has characteristic peculiari- 
ties in each sex. /The features of the feminine 
countenance as well as body, are softer, rounder 
and more flexible than those of the male, which, 
in harmony with the outlines of his person at large, 
are angular, hard and stiff. Although the analogy 
in the general outline of the two figures 1 and 2, 
PI. ii. be very evident, still the former is at once 
recognised for a female, the latter for a male coun- 
tenance. But, indeed, the characteristic features 
of the male and female face are generally enough 
understood. Occasionally, however, deviations 
from the general law occur, and female faces may 
sometimes be observed which resemble the male 
countenance, or the contrary. The expression of 
' a masculine countenance^ in reference to a wo- 
man, proves that such exceptions have been noted. 

Of National Faces. 

Experience shows that the majority of individ- 
uals composing nations have something character- 
istic in their countenances. The Chinese can 



24 



never be confounded with the English face ; the 
Negro can never be taken for an Italian, nor the 
Grecian for an Esquimaux./ The Jews, though 
they have been dispersed over all the countries, 
and have lived in all the climates of the globe for 
many centuries, still preserve a particular and 
distinguishing physiognomy. Peculiarities even 
mark the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin; in 
that of Judah, for example, the face is round, and 
the cheeks are prominent, while in the tribe of 
Benjamin, the face is lengthened, the cheeks are 
but slightly prominent, the nose is aquiline, and 
the eyes lively ; the whole, in short, composes what 
is called an oriental countenance. 

To observe varieties in national physiognomy, 
it is not necessary to visit foreign or extremely 
remote countries. We need not take a journey 
to Arabia, Madagascar, China, or Mexico, for this 
purpose ; we have but to examine the inhabitants 
of different provinces of the same country to be 
convinced of the great variety that reigns ; in 
France, for instance, we may observe the natives 
of Picardy, of Normandy, of Burgundy, of Gas- 
cogny, &c. to be very different in appearance 
from each other. The Westphalians, Saxons, 
Bavarians, Suabians, &x. have all very different 
physiognomies. The inhabitants of the south- 
west of Scotland, those of the north-east, and 
those of the Highlands, belong to three different 
races. England and Ireland having been occu- 



ruv 




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25 



pied by various nations, particular districts of 
each have a population originally different. In 
the county of Norfolk the same round and well- 
fed figures are seen which Rubens has transferred 
to his canvass from natives of Holland. On the 
borders between Scotland and England, the 
Roman form of face is still found. In the south, 
again, the Saxon face is very common. In short, 
there are, beyond any doubt, national faces. 
The figs. 1, 2, and 3, of PL iv. will never be taken 
for Grecian beauties ; did 1 find a face like fig. 4, 
of the same plate, in England or Ireland, I should 
at once consider it as of foreign extraction. The 
first figure is taken from the work of M. Choris.* 
It is the portrait of a chief of Malayan origin of 
the gulf Kutusoff- Smolensky. The second is the 
portrait of Hyder Aly, a khan of Mongolian 
blood ; the third is easily distinguished as the 
likeness of a Jew ; and the fourth is the portrait 
of Hannibal. 

On account of the importance and interesting 
nature of the subject, I shall still give four por- 
traits as national examples, all of which may fre- 
quently be observed in Europe. 

PL v. fig. 1, is Buchanan, a configuration of 
more common occurrence in the south, than in 
the north of Europe ; I have, however, seen it in 
the south-western part of Ireland, and in the cor- 
responding district of Scotland. The forehead 

* Voyage Pittoresque autour du Monde, Paris, 1820. 
4 



°26 



is large, high, and inclined a little backwards ; 
the root of the nose is prominent, the nose long 
and somewhat aquiline ; the cheeks are little de- 
veloped, the mouth and lips middlingly so, the 
chin is prominent ; the parts of the face are, in 
general, elongated and slender, and its whole form 
inclines to the conical. The temperament of this 
race is mostly a compound of the bilious with the 
nervous. 

This configuration resembles that which the 
Grecian artists selected as the finest and most 
beautiful of all, that, in fine, which is commonly 
called the Grecian face. However, as a great 
many of the eminent men of Greece, whose por- 
traits have reached us, present a configuration 
very different from that we have described, for , 
instance, Solon, Themistocles, Alcibiades, Socra- 
tes, Demosthenes, Thucydides, and others, and 
farther, as this form also occurs in countries 
known to have been occupied by Phoenician colo- 
nies, I prefer calling it the Phoenician face. It is 
conspicuous in many Grecian portraits, as in 
those of Miltiades, Bias, Leonidas, Anacreon, and 
others, but it is also evident in those of other na- 
tions, as of Hamilcar, Hannibal, PvJassinissa, Py- 
thagoras, Numa, St. Augustin, St. Athanasius, 
Polidore Caravaggio, Coligny, Arundel, Mayenne, 
Scaliger, Camden, &;c. 

Fig. 2. Cato, the censor ; a portrait which pre- 
sents another characteristic form of face. The 



27 



upper part of the forehead, and the region of the 
frontal sinus are very prominent ; the root of the 
nose is depressed, the nose aquiline, the lips thick 
and elevated, the chin prominent and rounded ; 
all the features large and strongly marked. The 
constitution which accompanies this configura- 
tion is commonly bilious, sanguine, or sanguine- 
nervous. This form of face appears to have oc- 
curred among the Greeks, but 1 call it the Roman 
face, as it was more frequent among the Romans 
than any other ancient nation./ We find it in the 
portraits of Solon, Themistocles, Antiochus, Philip 
of Macedon, Antisthenes, Aratus, Sylla, Marius, 
Julius Csesar, Marcus Agrippa, Vespasian, Dio- 
cletian, Theodosius the Great, Constantine, Lalli, 
Louis XI. king of France, St. Thomas Aquinas, 
Duns Scotus, &x. 

Fig. 3. Addison is a form of face in which the 
eyes often occur prominent, the nose being thick 
and short, the cheeks full, the lips thick, the 
mouth large, the jaw-bones, particularly the lower 
one, strong and large, the chin rounded, the face 
generally full and plump, and indicative of a san- 
guine-lymphatic constitution. It seems primi- 
tively to be of Tartarian orign ; it is common in 
Germany, especially in Saxony, I therefore call it 
the Saxon face. It is seen in Leibnitz, Handel, 
Wolf, the Mareschal of Saxony, Argenson, Co- 
horn, La Chaussee, Desjardins, and others. 

Fig. 4. Isaac Watts: in this portrait the indi- 



28 



vidual parts are less strongly marked than in 
the Roman face ; the forms are here generally 
rounded. The upper part of the forehead is 
rather flat, but its lower region is particularly 
prominent ; the root of the nose is elevated, less 
so, however, than in the Phoenician face ; the 
eyes are not so full as in the Saxon form, the eye- 
lids are scanty, the orbits round, the cheeks the 
broadest part of the face ; the nose is slender, 
straight, and of middling size, the chin is round- 
ed and sometimes sloping, the jaw-bones are 
small, and the lower one is contracted on the 
sides. The accompanying temperament is bil- 
ious-nervous. This configuration is frequent in 
France, and in the low countries. I have also 
seen it in the south of Wales, and of England, and 
in the north-east of Ireland. It belongs to a Cel- 
tic or Gallic race. Traces of it are perceived in 
Bayle, Berghem, Boece, Mieris, Claude de Lor- 
raine, Girardon, Moliere, Paul Potter, Poussin, 
Reaumur, Vouet, Voiture, Van Ostade, Van der 
Werff, &c. 

I had already remarked on Great Britain being 
inhabited by various tribes ; this was what induced 
me to give portraits of three among her men 
of genius, in order that I might show indivi- 
dual configurations of countenance, propagated 
from generation to generation. These configura- 
tions are permanent, if no admixture of foreign 
blood be permitted. I have already spoken of 



29 



this circumstance in reference to the Jews. Nay 
although the four races that have been partic- 
ularised intermarry among themselves, and with 
others not precisely referable to either, the char- 
acteristic features we have mentioned are still 
to be detected. In the portraits of many great 
men, as of Bourdaloue, Descartes, and Corneille, 
for instance, a mixture of the Gallic and Phoeni- 
cian forms is conspicuous. What is called the 
Italian face, results from a blending of the Phoeni- 
cian with the Roman features. In some individ- 
uals the Phoenician form predominates, as in 
Dante, Doria, Jansenius, Alexis Comines, Clis- 
son, Leonardo da Vinci, Scanderberg, &x. in 
others again, the Roman configuration prevails, 
as in the Pope Leo IV. Algarde, the Abbe Bar- 
thelemy, Duprat, &c. 

My only intention here is to show that there 
are forms of face peculiar to tribes or races ; 
these, however, get blended together and finally 
lose their characteristic traits, so as at length to 
be no longer recognizable, in proportion as the 
different families of mankind intermarry. 



30 



CHAPTER III. 

Of the Physiognomical Signs of the whole Head, 

In the preceding chapter we have remarked 
that the body, according to its size, configuration 
and organic constitution, is variously adapted to 
different functions, and that it is modified in the 
sexes; moreover that there are characteristic 
sexual and national peculiarities of countenance. 
I shall now add that the form of the head at large 
is not matter of indifference in connexion with 
the manifestation of such or such mental dispo- 
sitions, and that there are characteristic male, 
female, and national heads as well as faces. I 
shall begin this subject with some general re- 
marks, which I request the reader will continue 
to bear in mind. 



Mode of considering the Physiognomical Signs of 
the Head. 

The first point to be considered by the phre- 
nologist is, the bodily constitution of the individ- 
ual subject of observation; whether this is lym- 
phatic, sanguine, bilious, nervous, or is made up 
by a mixture of these primitive temperaments. 
This preliminary step i* necessary in order to 






FL fT. 



d 




Fig.l. 



^ 







Fief. Z ■ 



tfFMcUL 



Pv2>. by M'w.s-h, Cap c<n,& Lyon. 



Annir^ Srmtk XCfo's Zith. 



31 



enable him to conclude concerning the degree of 
activity possessed by the cerebral organs. 

He must then examine the head generally, in 
regard to size, and acquire ideas of what may be 
entitled small, middling, and large-sized heads. 
After this he will consider the relative size of the 
various regions of the head, and the develop- 
ment of the individual parts of each region, that 
is to say, the length and breadth of the partic- 
ular organs : finally he will ascertain the propor- 
tionate size of all organs to each other. 

To gain information upon these particulars, the 
head is to be viewed profile-wise, and divided 
into two regions by a vertical line, drawn from 
the orifice of the external ear, PI. vi. figs. 1 and 
2. (a) to the point in the middle of the upper part 
of the head (6), which corresponds with the union 
of the frontal and sagittal sutures. The region 
behind the line a-b is the occipital, and that before 
it the frontal. The occipital and frontal regions 
are then compared, and their relative size deter- 
mined. In fig 1 the occipital region ab d is larger 
than the frontal a b c ; while in fig. 2. the frontal 
region exceeds the occipital in size. We have to re- 
mark, that in common the occipital region is unfor- 
tunately more largely developed than the frontal. 
On this circumstance depends in part, the general 
and excessive energy of the animal nature of man. 

In this view of the head, lines may also be 
drawn from the external opening of the ear (a), 



32 



to the different points in the circumference of the 
head, such as a-c ; a-i ; ab ; a-d ; in order to 
learn in what direction the brain in the mesial 
line is the most developed. In PI. vi. fig. 1. the 
lines a-c and a-i are shorter than the lines a-b 
and a-d ; while in fig. 2. the lines a-c and a-i are 
the longest. 

Finally, in this view of the head, its length 
from the forehead to the occiput, c-d, and its 
height from the ear to the vertex, a-b, are to be 
noted. 

The head is now to be divided in its height 
into two regions, by a horizontal line passing 
from the middle of the forehead to the point of 
union between the parietal and occipital bones ; 
in other words, by a line extending from the 
organ of eventuality, under the organs of ideality 
and circumspection, to terminate at the organ of 
inhabitiveness. The portion of the head below 
this line I entitle the basilar region, and that 
above it the sincipital or coronal. The former of 
these two regions is also generally larger than 
the latter. This is another cause of the great 
activity of the animal nature in man. 

A line, e-i, drawn from the external angle of 
the eye vertically, and parallel with a-b, will show 
the degree in which the forehead, strictly speak- 
ing, is developed, and also expose the relative 
volume of its inferior, e-c, and of its superior, c-i, 
portions. 



TI'.VJZ 




Bg.l. 



s/ 



; 



m 




Uiy. 



Txd> . buMorsh Caporv&Iy on 



AnrurvJrnit&Z {Xtlitfi? 



Tirvm 





Tw%. 



Tub. 'by MarsU, Caperi, &-Zy or» 



JnniwSmUh %,Cos / « '> * 



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JLnnirt., Smith 6CCv'S Zi'th* 



33 



Finally, the width of the head is to be consid- 
ered, and its height and breadth to be compared 
with each other. In this way the proportion of 
the lateral to the upward parts of the head will 
be ascertained. The greater development of the 
lateral than of the superior region of the head 
likewise conduces to the great activity of the 
animal nature of man ; and by far the greatei 
number of individuals have wide rather than high 
heads. PL vii. and PI. viii. present two figures 
each. PI. vii. fig. 1, is Vitellius ; fig. 2. is a 
geometrician, after a picture in the gallery of the 
Louvre, at Paris. The basilar region is in the 
former very large, and the sincipital very small. 
In the second the head is still very wide, but it 
is proportionately higher than that of the Roman 
emperor. 

PI. viii. fig. 1. is Henry IV. of France, and fig. 
2. is Raleigh. The heads of both figures are high 
rather than wide ; but the latter is the higher of 
the two, in proportion to the lateral development. 

In order still further to inculcate the import- 
ance of attending to the relative degrees in which 
the different regions of the head are developed, 
I have given two additional figures in PI. xi. In 
fig. 1. the lower portion of the forehead is very 
prominent ; the nose is long and aquiline, and 
the upper portion of the forehead slopes back- 
wards. This is a configuration upon which erro- 
neous conclusions are apt to be formed. Those, 
5 



34 



however, who understand phrenology, will not 
judge from external appearance alone, nor, with 
the inexperienced, be induced to prefer fig. 2. to 
fig. 1. ; for the cerebral masses of the lower part 
of the forehead are actually larger in fig. I . than 
in fig. 2. and the rest of the brain is of equal size 
in both. All other conditions being the same, 
the forehead of fig. 1. is therefore preferable to 
that of fig. 2. The portraits of Titus Livius, of 
Diderot, of Condorcet, and many others, must be 
judged of according to the above spirit. 

Once familiar with the comparative develop- 
ments of the various regions of the head, and of 
the individual portions of each, information in 
regard to the functions of the cerebral parts they 
severally include may next be required. In the 
forehead, strictly speaking, lie the organs of the 
intellectual faculties ; those of the perceptive 
powers occupying the space between e-c, PL vi. 
and those of the reflective faculties that between 
c-i. The rest of the head is occupied by the or- 
gans of the affective powers ; the basilar region 
with those of the faculties common to man and 
animals, the greater part of the sincipital region 
with those of the powers peculiar to man. 

The occipital portion, PL vi. o d b, of the sinci- 
pital region c d 6, deserves particular attention, 
on account of the influence exerted by the organs 
it includes over the functions of all the others ; for 
they stimulate them, and tend to maintain their 



35 



energy. This portion, in combination with the 
frontal region, in large proportion, fortifies the 
moral and reflective capacities ; but when joined 
to great development of the basilar region, it gives 
increased vigor to the animal propensities, and 
renders the character rude and brutal. 

Further, the degree in which the individual or- 
gans are developed requires to be ascertained. 
The study of the different regions will give much 
facility in this particular. 

Finally, the peculiarities of the special faculties 
are to be examined. They will be found discussed 
in my publications on Phrenology. 

To judge, then, by phrenological signs of the 
natural mental dispositions, the temperament is 
examined in the first instance; the size of the dif- 
ferent regions individually and relatively is next 
determined : here the relation of the basilar to 
the sincipital region, and of the frontal to the 
occipital, are the points especially to be attended 
to. Finally, the comparative size of the individ- 
ual organs is ascertained. No one who follows 
this method can by any possibility fail of having 
conviction forced upon him, of the existence and 
reality of the cerebral organs. 



Of Differences among Heads. 
Pascal was right in saying that he could not 



36 



conceive a man without a head. Let us add, that 
the dissimilar characters of men coincide with the 
different conformations of their heads. What an 
error then must those modern artists commit, who. 
neglect the size and form of the head in their por- 
traits ! Did they but intend to give an accurate 
likeness, some attention to the head is certainly 
required ; and if they would do more, viz. paint 
the moral and intellectual character, the utmost 
care in depicting the figure and volume of the 
skull is indispensable. 

PL ix. figs. 1. and 2. represent active tempera- 
ment ; both heads have the same chin, mouth, 
nose, and eyes, but the most superficial observer 
will feel as by intuition that their mental dis- 
positions differ, as he will perceive that their 
heads are altogether unlike. Suppose an artist 
sets about making the portrait either of fig. 1 or 
fig. 2. how imperfect would the likeness be did 
he only imitate the lower parts of the face ; did 
he give fig. 1. the general form of the head of 
fig. 2. or the contrary ! Judged of according to 
the principles of phrenology, fig. 1. has consider- 
able facility in acquiring individual knowledge, 
but little aptitude for philosophical reasoning ; 
his animal inclinations are stronger than his moral 
sentiments ; the latter, therefore, will have to 
struggle against the former. Fig. 2. on the con- 
trary, besides great ability to acquire information, 



Tt.xz:. 




Mq.1. 




Fxd>.yyJknw'* ! }L l C<xpti.rv i ScTy>orL . 



Ann-Liis S-rnUSh, & CosXirJi. 



Tl.Zl. 




9 f^.i 








tta.% 



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Marsh , Lap en. Sc,Xycn 



_Jn n in Srrrith 8c Co S ■!■ Xlh & 



37 



may reason profoundly on his knowledge. Such 
a head is fond of reflection, and can combat ani- 
mal propensities without difficulty. 

This phrenological judgment is founded on 
the following considerations: in fi<2\ 1. the organs 
of the perceptive faculties are more largely devel- 
oped than those of the reflective powers, and the 
basilar is larger than the sincipital region ; whilst 
in fig. 2. both the lower and upper parts of the 
forehead are voluminous, and the sincipital region 
exists in great proportion. 

I have given pi. x. figs. 1. and 2. to show that 
the whole face, the forehead inclusive, is not suf- 
ficient to convey a likeness, nor to indicate a cha- 
racter. Both figures were intended to have been 
drawn with the same face and forehead, the latter 
part, however, in fig. 2. is not exactly of the same 
form as in fig. 1.; but supposing it the same, 
every one will certainly judge differently of their 
characters, on account of the difference in the 
rest of their heads. Fig. 1 . 1 consider as the por- 
trait of a person religiously inclined, whose moral 
inclinations, however, find great obstacles, in his 
self-esteem, and in his unbending disposition. He 
will be apt to espouse calvinistic principles, lie 
has pretty good intellectual powers, but his judg- 
ment will not be of the deepest kind. His verbal 
memory is moderate. The physiognomical signs 
which make me judge in this way, arc as follows. 
The temperament is nervous ; the sincipital is 



38 



large, compared with the basilar region, and the 
occipital part of the sincipital region is much 
greater than its frontal portion. Such a charac- 
ter is severe, and inclined to acknowledge the im- 
mutable and eternal laws of nature as dictates of 
the Creator ; to these he will at no time hesitate 
to subject his benevolence. Both portions of the 
forehead are of middling size ; the eyes are small, 
and lie deep in their sockets. 

In fig. 2. a moral character of a very different 
description. He is modest, indulgent, and places 
charity above every other virtue. His religion 
consists in good works. He is not indifferent to 
distinctions and worldly pleasures, but he ac- 
knowledges the law according to which feelings 
and their actions must all be directed by moral 
principles. He will, however, never take the 
lead in any profession he may choose. I form 
this opinion from the large size of the sincipital 
region generally, and from observing that its fron- 
tal portion outmeasures its occipital one. The 
basilar region is not actually small, but it is infe- 
rior in size to the sincipital. Self-esteem is not 
large enough to push forward and take up a con- 
spicuous position. 

Thus it is very far from a matter of indiffer- 
ence what form of head is joined to a given face ; 
artists, therefore, err when they imitate the face 
only of the individual whose portrait they would 
paint. 



39 



Comparison of the Face with the Cranium. 

Most persons attending to the face alone, con- 
found this with the head ; Voltaire, for instance, 
is commonly enough cited as having had a small 
head, but Voltaire's brain was very considerable, 
it was his face only that was small. Leo X* 
Leibnitz, Haller, Puffendorf, Addison, Franklin^ 
Mirabeau, Fox, and many other men of great 
talents, had both the brain and the face of large 
size. On the contrary, Bossuet, Voltaire, Kant, 
and others, had the brain large and the face 
small. This difference is even visible in whole 
tribes. 

To succeed in imitating nature exactly, and in 
producing the best possible likeness, artists da 
well to compare the face with the brain, but 
phrenologists and physiognomists do not find any 
sign of their science in the relative proportions of 
these parts. The Saxon is generally larger than 
the Phoenician face ; intelligence, however, is not 
less conspicuous in the Saxon, than it is in the 
Phoenician race. 

The face is commonly compared with the brain, 
and the talents then estimated by means of what 
is called the facial angle of Camper, but the utter 
erroneousness of this procedure is evident. How- 
ever gifted with talents, the Negro would still, 
were it confided in, be proclaimed inferior to the 
almost idiotic European. 



40 



Let it be remembered then that, in phrenology, 
the term head is taken as synonymous with that 
of brain, and that phrenological judgments, in re- 
gard to the innate dispositions of the mind, and 
of their manifestations, are always founded on 
the size and constitution of the brain and its 
parts. 

Of the Heads of the Sexes. 

The body and face vary in the two sexes; 
do their brains differ likewise ? The talents and 
feelings in the male and female are commonly 
considered as dissimilar ; indeed it is proverbially 
said that women feel and men think. This differ- 
ence has been attempted to be accounted for in 
various ways. Mallebranche thought that the 
female cerebral fibre was softer than that of the 
male. The majority of modern authors, however, 
have attributed the phenomenon to the modified 
education which the sexes receive. / 1 here confine 
myself to observation, and this shews that in gen- 
eral the female head is smaller than that of the 
male ;/it is often somewhat longer from the fore- 
head to the occiput, but it is commonly narrower 
laterally. / The basilar region of the female head 
is also smaller, the occipital more elongated, and 
the frontal developed in a minor degree, the 
organs of the perceptive faculties being commonly 
larger than those of the reflective powers. The 



rixn. 




Fig. %. 







\ 



S.FKT. del. 

J'-uJ,. by Marsh, Gap fin, H'-Lyon 



A*tnw 



41 



female cerebral fibre is slender and long rather 
than thick. Lastly, and in particular, the organs 
of philoprogenitiveness, of attachment, love of ap- 
probation, circumspection, secretiveness, ideality, 
and benevolence, are for the most part propor- 
tionately larger in the female (PL xii. fig. 1 .) ; 
while/in the male those of amativeness, comba- 
tiveness, destructiveness, constructiveness, self- 
esteem, and firmness predominate." (PL xii. fig. 2.) 
Some may perhaps object to the apparent con- 
tradiction in this announcement of the differences 
between the heads of the sexes. I say that the 
heads of men are wider than those of women, and 
then I state that I consider circumspection and 
secretiveness, whose organs lie laterally, as more 
generally active in the female than in the male. 
They who make this objection do not understand 
the phrenological principle, according to which 
the organs which are the most largely developed 
in every individual display the greatest energy, 
and take the lead of all the other powers. Now, 
although the female head be so commonly nar- 
rower than the male, the organs of secretiveness 
and circumspection are still the most prominent, 
and thus contribute essentially to the formation of 
the female character. Phrenologists, therefore, 
in examining the physiognomical signs of the in- 
nate dispositions, never compare the heads of the 
sexes together, nor even those of two individuals 
of the same sex ; they judge of every head indi- 

6 



42 



vidually, and form conclusions in regard to the 
dispositions generally, according as the organs of 
the respective faculties are developed. 

In my comparison of the heads of the sexes, I 
have only stated the general result of observation. 
I do not mean to deny that the intelligence of 
some women is superior to that of many men, nor 
that men sometimes feel as women commonly 
do; on the contrary, there are individual excep- 
tions from the general rule ; and in them the 
cerebral organization also differs from the ordi- 
nary state. 

I grant that both sexes do not receive the same 
education ; but surely no one will maintain that 
in all points girls are less attended to than boys. 
Indeed there can be no doubt but that girls are 
more commonly instructed in drawing, painting, 
and music than boys, and that females often spend 
a great deal of time on these occupations. ' Fur- 
ther, emulation, or the love of approbation, is even" 
a more active principle in the female than in the 
male sex ; nevertheless, no woman has hitherto 
produced such works as those of Handel, Mozart, 
Haydn, Titian, Rubens, Raphael, Paul Veronese, 
Canova, and so many others. 

The female sex appears to greater advantage 
in actions which result from feeling. History 
records numerous instances of women distinguish- 
ing themselves by great disinterestedness, friend- 
ship, resignation, and exemplary probity. It is 



43 



quite evident that nature has destined the two 
sexes to particular and dissimilar situations, and 
that she has endowed the various dispositions of 
each with different degrees of activity. 

Of National Heads, 

Even from ancient times whole nations have 
been recognised as differing in character and tal- 
ents. The inhabitants of different islands, at no 
great distance from each other, have been found, 
in one, of a mild, peaceable and timid disposition, 
and amicably inclined to foreigners ; in another, 
courageous, warlike, cruel and jealous of stran- 
gers ; in a third, cleanly or filthy, cunning or sin- 
cere, selfish or benevolent, and so on : a circum- 
stance which has led several authors to admit dif- 
ferent races of the human species. 

Such varieties in disposition are conspicuous 
not only in nations very remote from each other, 
but also in tribes dwelling in each other's vicinity, 
and even in the population of different provinces 
of the same country. It has happened, indeed, 
that the inhabitants of provinces, like whole na- 
tions, have had epithets applied to them indicative 
of their predominating character/ In France, the 
inhabitants of Britany, Normandy, Burgundy, Pi- 
cardy, Gascogny, &c. are well known to possess 
individual mental powers particularly strong. 

It is not, therefore, by any means sufficient to 



44 

have seen the capital of an empire, to have dined 
with several families, or to have visited the public 
institutions, to know the character of a nation. 
In every metropolis there are mixtures of all na- 
tions, and of every variety of characters. More- 
over, travellers get mostly acquainted with indi- ■ 
\ viduals of their own rank or profession : this ex- \ 
plains why the reports made by different visitors 
to the same country often vary so widely from 
each other. Hence, in phrenology, it is admitted 
as a principle, that no general inference, in regard 
to the talents and characters of whole nations, 
can be drawn from observations made on a few 
individuals.* One negro may be a good musician 
or mathematician, but the whole race does not, 
on this account, excel in these talents. 

The same care is necessary in deciding on na- 
tional configurations of head. These, neverthe- 
less, exist and may be determined ; for they vary 
according to the kind of character and talent most 
generally possessed by the nation. The organs of 
form, constructiveness, and notoriety, are com- 
monly large in France, and superior manual dex- 
terity and nicety of configuration are perceptible 
in many of her manufactures ; in the article of 
millinery the French regulate the taste of all Eu- 



* This principle the author strictly adhered to, while in the United 
Stales, as he invariably refused to give an opinion upon our national 
character. 






45 



rope, and their manners are eminently polite, 
winning and elegant. 

It is quite positive that the inhabitants of cer- 
tain provinces of a country have greater abilities 
than those of others ; and this circumstance can 
only be attributed to superiority in the tribes 
which originally took possession of these favored 
districts. The race from which we descend has 
undoubtedlv far more influence on our talents 
than the climate of the country in which we live. 

This matter is not only interesting to philoso- 
phers, but also to governments. Would a legis- 
lator have his regulations permanent, he must 
adapt them to the character of the nation to whom 
they are given. A benevolent, intellectual, and 
well-informed person, for instance, can never 
adopt such religious ideas as, content the cruel, 
stupid, and ignorant being. One nation is guided 
by vanity and selfish motives alone ; another re- 
quires to be led by reason, and will only submit 
to an enlightened and liberal government. 

The influence of the cerebral organization upon 
the affective and intellectual manifestations being 
ascertained, we cannot help regretting that travel- 
lers should still neglect the study of national char- 
acters, in connexion with that of national configu- 
rations of head. It seems reasonable to expect 
that the same interest should be taken in increas- 
ing our acquaintance with mankind, which is 
shewn in the advancement of natural history. 



46 



Man is at least as noble an object as a plant or a 
shell; and as animals, plants, minerals, and shells 
are sedulously collected, I would ask why organic 
proofs of national characters, I mean skulls, or 
casts taken from nature, or exact drawings, should 
not also be deemed worthy of some attention ? 

Plate xiii. presents four national skulls ; their 
form is as different as the character of the nations 
to which they belonged. Fig. 1 . is the skull of a 
cannibal of Brazil: the frontal region is very low ; 
the greatest mass of brain lies at the base of the 
head, particularly above the ears. Fig. 2. is the 
skull of a woman of the savage tribe Wabash, in 
North America : the occipital region is much 
larger than the frontal, and the basilar than the 
sincipital : the forehead, strictly speaking, is very 
small ; the region of benevolence is quite depres- 
sed, but the organs of firmness and self-esteem 
are extremely large. Such a head is always led 
with the greatest difficulty. How different is the 
Hindoo skull, fig. 3. flattened on the sides, higher 
than it is broad, and containing the greatest por- 
tion of brain in the sincipital region. Fig. 4. is 
from Blumenbach's work, and given as a speci- 
men of the ancient Greek. I consider this form 
as individual ; but certainly a nation, the greater 
number of whose inhabitants were endowed with 
such a cerebral organization, would excel in many 
ways, and become the model for other nations to 
imitate. 



JB.F.JVdd 



JP1 JTIIl 





i 



m 

- 






J??g. 2. 



Fig.1. 







-w 






Fig. 



IFzc?. 3. 



-Ful>. by ~Mursh, Cap en,, SCJLyon . 



dnninSm-iYh,*. Co.'S lith,. 



SECTION II. 

Of the Cerebral Organization of different Characters* 

. The character is a product of the combination 
of affective with intellectual faculties. Although 
the variety of characters encountered in the world 
be infinite, they may still be arranged into classes 
according to the faculties which are most ener- 
getic. There are, for example, moral and im- 
moral, religious and irreligious, haughty and hum- 
ble, vindictive and forgiving, quarrelsome and 
peaceable, lively and serious, independent and 
servile characters, and so on. 

In speaking of the cerebral organization of these 
and other characters, I shall give the portraits of 
individuals known for peculiarity of disposition ; 
but then I may be asked if the portraits, as they 
exist, be faithful representations of the men. For 
my own part, I certainly do not rely implicitly on 
the accuracy of every one of the configurations 
which have been transmitted to posterity. I 
should recommend artists, for the future, to take 
a complete cast from the head of every man of 
great talents or remarkable character, and to hand 
down mental as well as personal likenesses, and 



48 



also to preserve and multiply the proofs of phre- 
nology. Although it is evident that great differ- 
ences in the form and size of the head have been 
imitated by masters of eminence at least, still my 
principal object in publishing this work is rather 
to fix the attention of my readers on the relations 
that exist between manifestations of mind and 
cerebral organization, in individuals as well as in 
whole nations, than to persuade them by the ex- 
amples I shall give, which nevertheless show 
clearly the application that may be made of phre- 
nology. 

By far the greater number of these portraits 
are from plates in the Cabinet d?Estampes of the 
great royal library at Paris. I thankfully ac- 
knowledge my obligations to M. Duchesne, the 
conservator, for his kindness in affording me every 
facility in furtherance of my design. The descrip- 
tions of the individual characters are taken from 
the Biographie Universelle, Ancienne et Moderne, 
published by Michaud, freres ; from the Galerie 
Historique des Hommes les plus Celebres, published 
by Landon ; from the General Biographical Dic- 
tionary, revised and enlarged by A. Chalmers; and 
from the General Biography, by /. Aikin and fV. 
Enfield. 



49 



CHAPTER L 



Portraits remarkable in relation to Morality. 



(. 



' Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his right- 
eousness,' says the Christian code ; but this law 
appears to be extremely difficult of accomplish- 
ment, for Christian righteousness, love thy neigh- 
bor as thyself, is the rarest thing in the world. 
The moral sentiments, particularly that of justice, 
exert a very secondary influence over the greater 
number of persons ; the faculties common to man 
and animals determine the actions of the majority 
of mankind. This lamentable truth is generally 
admitted, and whilst various reasons have been 
assumed as accounting for it, all kinds of means 
have been thought of, and employed, in the view 
of strengthening the moral part of man : hitherto, 
however, the success attending these attempts 
has not been commensurate with the pains that 
have been taken. Deficiency in the superior 
sentiments, particularly in justice, is the cause 
why no large society has hitherto been able to 
maintain a republican form of government ; why 
kings must be declared inviolable, and their 
ministers made responsible ; why all religious 
systems admit future rewards and punishments ; 
why so few persons can be left to themselves, and 

7 



50 

positive laws are indispensable ; finally, why 
fear prevents more mischief, than love effects 
good.j 

On the other hand, again, though their actions 
be not in conformity with its dictates, justice is 
felt and admired by the great bulk of mankind. 
Phrenology alone affords an explanation of this 
state of things. The sentiment of justice exists 
in a greater or less degree in every individual ; 
it is at least felt and necessarily approved of by 
almost every one's intelligence. The great mass 
of mankind, therefore, claim justice and assent to 
its being done, so long as their inferior or animal 
feelings, as amativeness, philoprogenitiveness, in- 4 
dividual attachment, self-esteem, love of appro- 
bation, acquisitiveness, or selfishness in general, 
are not in opposition ; but justice is commonly 
overwhelmed as soon as it is assailed by the ani- 
mal propensities: the combat then becomes un- 
equal, for very few possess justice strong enough 
to triumph over and keep the lower feelings in sub- 
ordination. Hence the great facility with which 
mankind are corrupted — hence the great efficacy 
of a civil law, whose foundation is selfishness. 

Another commandment of Christianity says : 
/ ' All things whatsoever ye would that men should 
do to you, do ye even so to them. 5 ) This com- 
mandment is also seldom strictly accomplished ; 
to me, however, benevolence appears to be more 
active than justice among mankind at large. In- 



51 



deed, the organ of the former feeling is commonly 
found in larger proportion than that of the latter. 
Let us now examine the portraits of a few indi- 
viduals, who have followed the moral precepts 
pretty closely, and compare their cerebral organ- 
ization with that of others who sought their 
pleasures and their happiness in immoral actions. 
It may appear strange, but it is not therefore the 
less certain, that the manifestations of the moral 
feelings depend on the brain. That which is, is ; 
this is the answer to any objection against this 
natural truth. It was the will of the Creator that 
the sentiments should be manifested by the brain, 
in the same way as it was his will that the mind 
should acquire notions of the external world by 
means of the senses. It is a fact, and must be 
admitted as such, that those who have the sinci- 
pital and frontal regions of the brain much more 
largely developed, than the basilar and occipital 
ones, shew noble and elevated feelings, and may 
be called the chosen among men. Again, that 
those who have the sincipital region of the head 
in the same proportion as the basilar one, mani- 
fest superior and inferior inclinations in nearly 
equal degrees ; and further, that those who have 
the basilar and occipital regions of the head more 
considerable than the sincipital and frontal parts, 
display much more of the animal than of the man 
in their conduct. It was given to St. John to love 
his master, and to Judas to betray him : in con- 



52 



formity, Da Vinci, in his sublime composition of 
the Lord's Supper, represents St. John with a no- 
ble high head, and Judas with a villanous low one. 

The organ of justice is commonly smaller than 
any other of the sincipital organs, precisely as the 
feeling of justice is generally weaker than the 
other superior sentiments., A general remark 
remains to be made, viz. in stating that individuals 
of a cruel disposition have the organ of benevo- 
lence small, cruelty is not to be understood as 
resulting solely from the deficiency of benevo- 
lence ; benevolence being inactive, the other fac- 
ulties act in a manner called cruel, that is, with- 
out the restraint or guidance of benevolence and 
justice. 

In the following illustrations my procedure will 
be mostly the same. I shall first state my opinion 
upon the innate dispositions of each person whose 
portrait is given, supposing that it is an exact 
imitation of nature, and I shall then add historical 
outlines of the character, from the biographical 
works already mentioned. 



PLATE XIV. 

Fig. 1. — The Emperor Caracalla. 

Viewed according to phrenological principles, 
this is one of the most ignoble configurations of a 
head which it is possible to conceive. The basilar 



PL7IV 



J3.FM del 



> K 




*mT 



Ttyl 



% 






^ 



% 




Fig. 2. 



\&). 'hu Marsh , Capon & Lyon . 



Jinnr/i ,S m tin &." c ~c 



53 



region contains a great mass of brain, whilst the 
sincipital region is very small and contracted. 
The head, at the same time, is low, and very 
wide, particularly above and behind the ears. 
The forehead, too, is narrow, and by no means 
elevated. The organs of the lowest propensities 
predominate over those of the moral and religious 
sentiments, and of the reflective faculties, which 
are all exceedingly defective. An individual thus 
constituted is the victim of his inferior appetites, 
and animal nature ; he is one who will delight in 
destruction, and prefer violent measures to mild- 
ness and clemency ; his desires can never be re- 
strained by reason and benevolence ; force alone 
will avail to keep him within bounds, and were he 
to succeed in throwing off the ties of the civil 
laws, it would not be with a view to philanthropy, 
but to seize the supreme power, and to tyrannize 
over his fellow creatures. 

3orn in the lower ranks of society, he would 

ight in vulgar and degrading amusements, and 
avoid the company of noble-minded and reason- 
He beings. He is unfit to excel in any art or 

once, — the whole tendency of his mind is to- 

rds brutal pleasures. 

History represents Caracalla as fierce, haughty, 

locritical, intriguing, licentious, implacable in 

hatred to his brother, selfish, absurd, and 

estably cruel in war and in every situation. 

lie wished to possess all the money of the empire, 



54 



and spent whatever he could extort with prodi- 
gality in bribing the soldiers, in amusing and in 
attracting the attention of the rabble. His under- 
standing was limited, and he continued ignorant^ 
notwithstanding the great care that was taken of 
his education. He shewed a mean curiosity, a 
contempt for letters, an aversion for every kind 
of dignity, and an attachment to the lowest and 
most worthless of characters. He even chose his 
ministers from among the low-minded villanous. 
He lived amid debauchery himself, and punished 
adultery with death : in general he affected a 
hypocritical zeal for morals and religion, while 
he perpetually violated the precepts of the former, 
and degraded the latter, by mixing magic and 
astrology with its tenets. 

His behavior to his father, mother, and bro- 
ther alone suffices to show his wretched character. 
In the Caledonian war he attempted to assassin- 
ate his father, and as he did not succeed, he 
tried to bribe his physicians to hasten his death 
by poison. He pretended to make peace with 
his brother, promised to divide the empire with 
him, hypocritically expressed an earnest desire 
for a reconciliation, and engaged his mother to 
procure him an interview with Geta in her own 
apartments. Geta, at his entrance, was presently 
assaulted by some centurions, whom Caracalla 
had placed in ambush. Seeing his danger, he 
ran and threw himself into his mother's arms, 



55 



entreating her to save him, but Caracalla urged 
on the murderers, and they killed the unfortunate 
Geta in the arms of his mother. She herself was 
wounded in the arm, while attempting to protect 
her son. Caracalla then flew to the camp of the 
pretorian cohorts, prostrated himself before the 
images of the tutelary deities, and informed the 
bystanders that he had just escaped the treacher- 
ous attempts of his brother Geta. He pacified 
the soldiers, and reconciled them to the loss of 
Geta by profuse donations ; obliged his mother, 
by menaces against her life, to refrain from any 
manifestation of sorrow on the event, and jus- 
tified the assassination before the senate on the 
plea of the necessary prevention of a similar de- 
sign against himself. He put to death Fadilla, 
the only remaining daughter of the Emperor Mar- 
cus Aurelius, and, under the name of friends and 
partisans of Geta, sacrificed a vast number of per- 
sons whom he feared or suspected, not even 
sparing their children. The historian Dion speaks 
of twenty thousand victims immolated by Cara- 
calla's authority. It is not, therefore, astonishing 
that this monster became an object of execration 
to the Romans, and of contempt and horror to 
posterity, though he was deified after his death, by 
a decree of the senate. 



56 






Fig. 2. — Zeno, the Stoic. 

This portrait is from an antique bust, in the 
Royal Museum at Paris. It presents a cerebral 
organization which must excite the admiration 
and respect of every phrenologist. The frontal 
and sincipital regions predominate greatly over 
those of the basis and occiput. The organs of 
benevolence, veneration, firmness, conscientious- 
ness, cautiousness, ideality, and of the reflective 
faculties, are eminently large, whilst those of the 
animal feelings are subordinate. The head is 
flattened on the sides, especially in the region of 
acquisitiveness and secretiveness. Such a brain 
is incompatible with grovelling and unworthy 
conceptions ; it proclaims superiority in the moral 
character, and constitutes the sage. The fore- 
head is that of a deep thinker, and incompatible 
with stupidity. The mind, when manifested by 
means of such a cerebral organization, looks 
every where for reason and morality ; it readily 
admits the immutable laws of the universe, and is 
a sure law to itself. 

From history we learn that Zeno's character 
and intellectual dispositions agreed exactly with 
the indications furnished by his bust. Born on 
the isle of Cyprus, he was brought up to mercan- 
tile affairs. His father, a merchant, from matters 
of business, had frequently occasion to visit 



57 



Athens, and there purchased several writings of 
the Socratic philosophers for the use of his son, 
who, at an early age, displayed a great turn for 
learning. Zeno himself, at the age of twenty- 
two, or, according to others, of thirty, made a 
voyage to Athens. The goods were lost by ship- 
wreck, but Zeno reached his destination, and at- 
tended several lectures on philosophy. 

Having informed himself on every part of the 
philosophy then taught in Greece, he resolved to 
become the founder of a new sect. From the 
place chosen for his school, called Stoa (porch), 
his followers received the name of stoics. He ac- 
quired great ability by the acuteness of his reason- 
ing, and his private character being highly respect- 
able, he was much beloved and esteemed by his 
numerous disciples. The King of Macedonia, 
when at Athens, attended his lectures, and invited 
him to his court, but Zeno was not at all disposed 
to make an interested use of royal favor. He is 
said to have come very rich to Greece, but he 
lived with great simplicity and abstemiousness, 
keeping only one servant, and limiting himself to 
bread and fruits at table. In other pleasures he 
was equally continent, and his modesty led him to 
shun personal distinction. The Athenians placed 
such confidence in his integrity, that they deposit- 
ed the keys of their citadel in his hands, and de- 
creed him a statue and a golden crown. His 



58 



constitution was naturally weak, but by temper- 
ance his life was prolonged to extreme old age. 
His doctrines were less new than the forms in 
which they were taught, and Cicero has observed, 
that he had little reason for deserting his mas- 
ters, especially those of the Platonic sect. He 
believed in one God, the soul of the world, and 
had great confidence in the instinct of nature. 
His moral principles were severe ; placing happi- 
ness in the practice of virtue, he insisted on the 
same bearing both in pleasure and in pain, and 
contentment with every situation, in adversity as 
well as in prosperity. He thought it more wise 
to listen than to speak, to be ignorant of things 
which cannot be known than to hazard inquiries. 
The wise man of Zeno, although unattainable, is 
a character of the highest virtue, and supplied a 
model for the imitation of the noblest individuals 
that heathen antiquity has produced. He was 
persuaded that a man's life was always at his own 
disposal, and at the age of ninety-eight years, 
having fallen by accident, and broken one of his 
fingers, he went home and strangled himself. In 
testimony of their respect for the precepts of vir- 
tue which he inculcated on the youth who were 
his auditors, the Athenians honored him with a 
public funeral. 



ri iv. 




^ 



< 




Ma. 






jPuv. &u MJrwstv, 6ape/rv, tc'J^yorc 



B F.N 'J? 1 

jiffvn.in.SYn.ith 6C Cos Ziih.^ 



m 

PLATE XV. 

Fig. 1. — The Emperor Nero. 

This and the figure under it are also after 
antique busts in the Royal Museum at Paris. In 
Nero the forehead is low, and the whole sinci- 
pital region small ; the organs of benevolence 
and veneration are particularly defective, whilst 
those of firmness, self-esteem, and of all the animal 
propensities are very large. The basilar and 
occipital regions are greatly superior in size to 
the upper and fore parts of the head. In what- 
ever situation such a cerebral organization is 
placed, the animal nature will overpower the pe- 
culiarly human sentiments. Principles of Christian 
morality would appear foolishness to a being so 
constituted, and reflection and will would sink 
overwhelmed by selfish and animal propensities. 

Let us now see what history relates of the 
character of Nero : he was born of parents both 
notorious for their vices ; his father was so con- 
scious of his own and his wife's detestable dispo- 
sitions, that he affirmed, at his son's birth, that 
nothing could spring from himself and Agrippina 
but some monster, born for the public calamity. 
Nero, indeed, was cruel from the cradle. He 
married young, but while he shewed an attach- 
ment to a freed woman of a debauched charac- 
ter, who obtained a great ascendency over him, 



60 



he displayed nothing but aversion to his wife 
Octavia, the daughter of Claudius, who, though 
he had a son of his own, was prevailed upon by 
Nero's mother, his second wife, to adopt him. A 
long catalogue of crimes now succeeded. Agrip- 
pina poisoned Claudius, and Nero, only eighteen 
years old, contrived to have poison adminis- 
tered to Britannicus, as they sat at table with 
his wife and mother. He was always needy, 
from his profusion of every kind, and there was 
no mode of raising money by exactions and pil- 
lage which he did not practise. He used to say 
to his agents — ' You know what 1 want, let it be 
our business to leave nobody any thing.' He 
made no scruple of plundering the most sacred 
temples in the empire, for which he atoned by 
paying extraordinary honors to some favorite 
deity. 

A conspiracy against his life exasperated the 
tyrant. From this period he became suspicious 
of every man of rank and character, set no bounds 
to his cruelty, and displayed his brutal propensities 
with more extravagance than before. A bloody 
list of executions, in which the best and greatest 
men of Rome were the victims, distinguishes the 
annals of the subsequent years of his reign. At 
the same time he mounted the public theatre at 
Rome, disputed for the prizes of musician and 
actor, and made the spectators feel his tyranny, 
by the punishments inflicted on those who were 



61 



reported by his spies to have been careless or 
tardy in their applauses. He was artful and cun- 
ning, ungrateful to his benefactors, ferocious, and 
execrable in the eyes of every honest man. In 
the thirty-first year of his age, and fourteenth of 
his reign, his troops forsook their allegiance, and 
Galba was proclaimed emperor. Mero, who from 
the first had shown the most cowardly irresolu- 
tion, fled from Rome, and took refuge in the 
country-house of one of his freed men. When 
his flight was known, he was declared a public 
enemy by the senate, and condemned to an igno- 
minious death. He was exhorted by a few friends 
who remained with him, to prevent this catas- 
trophe by a voluntary death. He hesitated, com- 
plained unmanfully, and attempted in vain to work 
himself into a resolution for the deed. At length 
the sound of the horsemen sent to apprehend him, 
put an end to his hesitation, and he pierced his 
throat with a poniard. His memory has been 
detested in all ages. 

Fig. 2. — Seneca the Philosopher. 

In this portrait both the basilar and sincipital 
regions are large, and the frontal portion of the 
brain is considerable. The organs of benevo- 
lence, of veneration, and of the reflective facul- 
ties, are much larger than in fig. 1. Such a con- 
stitution exposes a man to feel the struggle be- 



62 



tween the lower and superior feelings ; the better 
part of his nature, however, will prevail. The 
philosophical judgment will be sound, and the 
moral principles reasonable, as the upper part of 
the forehead predominates ; but firmness and self- 
esteem are not large enough to be always de- 
pended upon. 

Seneca being brought from Spain to Rome, 
when a child, was initiated into the study of elo- 
quence by his father and other masters, but his 
own inclinations led him to philosophy. His first 
teacher was of the Pythagorean sect : he soon 
grew tired of the obscure mysticism of that 
school ; and became the disciple of a stoic : but 
he, at the same time, extended his inquiries to all 
the systems of Grecian philosophy. He was ap- 
pointed by Agrippina preceptor to her son Nero, 
while Pyrrhus was instituted governor and mili- 
tary instructor of the young prince. When Nero 
displayed his real character, and resolved to free 
himself from his mother's presence, by the horrid 
crime of matricide, Seneca did not oppose the 
proposal as he ought to have done, and after the 
deed was perpetrated, wrote a letter to the sen- 
ate in Nero's name to justify it. Though he was 
unable to check the torrent of depravity of his 
pupil, he experienced his lavish bounty to a de- 
gree which produced an accumulation of wealth, 
not only beyond the wants of a philosopher, but 
surpassing the measure of a private fortune. 



63 



Afraid of Nero and his rapacious favorites, he 
requested permission to retire from court, and 
even offered to refund all that he had received 
from the imperial liberality. Nero, a master in 
dissimulation, assured him of his continued re- 
gard, and would not permit the restitution of re- 
wards which he had so well merited ; but Seneca 
knew his pupil too well to place any confidence 
in his declarations. He, therefore, kept himself 
as much as possible out of sight, retired to his 
country seat, and, under pretence of indispo- 
sition, rarely admitted visitors. It was not long, 
however, before Nero sent a military tribune 
with a band of soldiers to Seneca's house, with 
the command that Seneca should immediately 
put himself to death. . The philosopher heard 
this sentence with perfect composure, and asked 
permission of the officer to make his testa- 
ment. This being refused, he turned to his 
friends, and said, that since he was not allowed 
to shew his gratitude to them in any other 
way, he would leave them the image of his life 
as the best memorial of their friendship. He 
then exhorted them to moderate their grief by 
the precepts of philosophy, and the considera- 
tion that such a fate was to be expected from 
the character of Nero. The death he chose was 
that of opening his veins, whilst seated in a hot 
bath. 

The character of Seneca, both in ancient and 



64 



modern times, has been a subject of much contro- 
versy, some extolling him as an example of the 
morality he taught, others representing him as 
acting differently from his precepts : the phre- 
nologist adds — from firmness, self-esteem, and 
conscientiousness, not being large enough. Sen- 
eca certainly had his faults, but while Nero fol- 
lowed his instructions he appeared an excellent 
prince, &nd with Seneca all goodness forsook the 
imperial court. 

The tenor of Seneca's writings is that of solid 
virtue, tempered with humanity, and exalted by 
the noblest principles of theism. Though not free 
from animal temptations, and too weak to resist at 
all times, he, however, was strongly inclined to 
benevolence, clemency, and virtue in general. 
He collected riches, but always gave the advice 
to be above them, and not to be unhappy in pov- 
erty. His manner of living was simple, and even 
austere. He was fond of study from infancy to 
the end of his life. 



PLATE XVI. 

Fig. I.— The Cardinal Richelieu. 

The forehead of this portrait, particularly in 
the region of the perceptive faculties, is large, 
and the width of the head generally is greater than 
its elevation. The organs of acquisitiveness, se- 



P12JZ. 




Fig.l 






-r'A 



mi 





Jfy 



2. 



&F1 



Jpub. by J\[a.r-sh , La /jc n ,&-£'(./ o'/ 



■ 



65 



cretiveness, destructiveness, firmness, self-esteem, 
and love of notoriety, are strongly marked ; those 
of benevolence, veneration, and conscientious- 
ness, are small. Such a man will be talented, 
but artful ; he will be guided by selfish motives 
rather than by love of the truth ; religion itself 
in his hands will be but a means of gaining his 
immediate ends, of gratifying his worldly inten- 
tions. He will sacrifice his adversaries without 
pity or remorse, and in every situation, as father 
or as husband, at the head of the church, or of 
the civil government, he will insist upon being 
obeyed. No man with such a configuration of 
brain ought, therefore, on any account, to be in- 
trusted with the direction of the state, he ought 
always to remain answerable for his actions, and 
under the control of some nobler and more hap- 
pily-constituted heads. 

Richelieu was educated for the church ; he 
studied at the Sorbonne, went afterwards to 
Rome, and at the early age of twenty-two was 
consecrated bishop of Lucon. Though he had 
obtained some distinction, the ecclesiastical pro- 
fession neither suited his morals nor his ambition, 
and his great object was to make his way at 
court. Under polite and insinuating manners, he 
concealed a firm and determined mind, and a 
spirit of intrigue, well adapted to make way 
where favorites reigned supreme. The queen- 
mother, Mary of Medicis, nominated him her 
9 



66 



grand-almoner and secretary of state. He gained 
her entire confidence, and was introduced into 
the council notwithstanding the opposition of the 
other ministers, who feared him, and the repug- 
nance of the king, who suspected his ambition, 
and was shocked with his licentious manners. 
For some time he conducted himself with great 
modesty and reserve ; but he soon found means 
to crush all his rivals, and to possess himself of 
the whole authority of the crown. He then as- 
sumed a tone of greater vigor and decision. Ho 
began by strengthening the royal authority, and 
with this view humbled the turbulent and fac- 
tious grandees. Several of these engaged in in- 
trigues against the government, but Richelieu 
brought many of them to the scaffold. The 
danger he himself incurred was a pretext for 
giving him a body-guard. His power became 
extraordinary ; even the royal authority was re- 
duced to a shadow. The queen-mother, herself, 
was made to feel the cardinal's resentment. She 
was put under arrest, her servants were all sent 
to the Bastile, and she finally ended her days in 
exile at Cologne. Ail that was great in the na- 
tion trembled before him. The king, without 
loving his prime-minister, submitted to all his se- 
verities, and created him a duke and peer. The 
daily expense of his household was enormous, his 
equipage and establishments were rather upon 
the scale of a sovereign prince than of a subject ; 



67 



and he much surpassed his master in external 
pomp. 

Richelieu even braved the court of Rome, and 
reduced the French clergy to the same depend- 
ence on the crown as all the other bodies of the 
state. The principles of his administration were 
entirely despotic ; in pursuit of his objects he 
trampled law and justice, rights and privileges, 
under his feet, and debased the spirit of the na- 
tion. He said of himself — ' I venture upon no- 
thing till I have considered it well ; but when I 
have once taken my resolution, I go directly to 
my end ; I overthrow and mow down all that 
stands in my way, and then cover the whole with 
my red mantle.' He was liberal to those who 
served him, and ardent in ruining his enemies. 
He was the author of some splendid and useful 
establishments, as of the Larbonne and the French 
Academy. He was attached to literature, and 
aimed at the same superiority in letters which he 
possessed in politics. He composed several dra- 
matic pieces, but was much disquieted by the su- 
perior reputation of Corneille. 

The Cardinal Richelieu was undoubtedly a 
man of great talents, seeing that he succeeded 
in overcoming all his enemies, in gaining all his 
ends, and in maintaining himself at the head of 
the government, though hated by the royal fam- 
ily, and not liked by the king. But he owed 
'his success to execrable means, to numerous 



68 



crimes, to corruption, and to the contempt in 
which he held mankind, and every honorable or 
conscientious feeling. The good he did was al- 
ways blended with evil. He must be considered 
as an imperious, ambitious, cunning, selfish, san- 
guinary, vindictive man, totally devoid of con- 
scientiousness. If the value and merits of a 
statesman are to be appreciated by his .justice and 
love of the general welfare, by his reason and 
moral rectitude, then was Richelieu's character 
abominable. 

Fig. 2. — Sir Francis Walsingham, 

This is a fine noble head. The whole sinci- 
pital region is larger than the basilar, and there 
is a great mass of brain from the ear forwards 
and upwards. The organs of the moral and re- 
ligious feelings are very large, in union with those 
of ideality, cautiousness, and the reflective fac- 
ulties. Acquisitiveness is very small in propor- 
tion to the superior sentiments. For such a man 
it is easy to forget his own interests amid thoughts 
for the public good ; he will never advantage him- 
self at the expense or to the detriment of another. 
With the capacity of acquiring a vast stock of 
knowledge, his mind will, however, always be 
mounting to general principles. In every situa- 
tion he will merit as he will grace the highest at- 
tainable eminence ; happy the country that is 



69 



governed by such a brain ! Were a phrenol- 
ogist shewn this and the former portrait, and in- 
formed that both of the men were in situations 
to have enriched themselves, but that one died 
poor and the other immensely rich, he would 
never confound the former with the Aristides of 
his country. 

Walsingham, it is said, received a liberal edu- 
cation, acquired several languages, and many ac- 
complishments. His first public engagement was 
in the capacity of ambassador to France, during 
the civil wars in that kingdom. Queen Elizabeth 
kept him in considerable difficulties by a small 
allowance, but he served her with zeal, discern- 
ment, and fidelity, displaying every fitness for the 
trust reposed in him. 

After his return from France, in 1573, he was 
appointed one of the principal secretaries of state 
and a privy councillor. He then devoted himself 
solely to the service of his country and sovereign, 
and, by his vigilance and address, preserved her 
crown and life from daily attempts and conspir- 
acies. His general character has been thus sum- 
med up : — ' He was undoubtedly one of the most 
refined politicians and most penetrating statesmen 
that ever any age produced. He had an admira- 
ble talent, both in discovering and managing the 
secret recesses of human nature ; he had his spies 
in most courts of Christendom, and allowed them 
a liberal maintenance ; for his grand maxim was, 



70 



that knowledge is never too dear. He spent his 
whole time and faculties in the service of the 
queen and her kingdom ; his conversation was 
insinuating, but yet reserved ; he saw every one, 
and none saw him. To him men's faces spoke 
as much as their tongues, and their countenan- 
ces were indexes of their hearts. Religion, in 
his judgment, was the interest of his country, 
as it was of his own soul ; it had his head, his 
purse, and his heart. He passed the latter 
days of his life mostly in retirement, and when 
any of his former gay companions came to see 
him, and told him he was melancholy, he is said 
to have replied : — < No, I am not melancholy ; 
I am serious, and it is fit I should be so ; all 
things are serious about us.' His cautiousness 
was certainly great. He died so poor, it is 
said, that his friends were obliged to bury him 
in St. Paul's, late at night, in the most private 
manner.' 

Cautiousness, great intellect, and moral and 
religious feelings, were the most prominent fea- 
tures in his character, as the organs of these 
pow 7 ers are the most largely developed in his 
brain. 



iisi 



plxvu. 



y 




Fiai. 




MFlFde?. 




**& * 



C^pe^o,f£Zyt 



yLun t*z t S*ni$h.iCCo!s Jk 



71 

PLATE XVII. 

Fig. 1. — Pope Alexander VI. 

This cerebral organization is despicable in the 
eyes of a phrenologist. The animal organs com- 
pose by far its greatest portion. Such a brain is 
no more adequate to the manifestation of Chris- 
tian virtues, than the brain of an idiot from birth 
to the exhibition of the intellect of a Leibnitz or 
a Bacon. The cervical and whole basilar region 
of the head are particularly developed, the organs 
of the perceptive faculties are pretty large, but the 
sincipital region is exceedingly low, particularly 
at the organs of benevolence, veneration and con- 
scientiousness. Such a head is unfit for any em- 
ployment of a superior kind, and never gives birth 
to sentiments of humanity. The sphere of its 
activity does not extend beyond those enjoyments 
which minister to the animal portion of human 
nature. 

Alexander VI. was, in truth, a scandal to the 
papal chair ; from the earliest age he was dis- 
orderly and artful, and his life to the last was in- 
famous. 

He is said to have bought the tiara by bribing 
a certain number of cardinals, or rather by mak- 
ing large promises, which he never fulfilled. It is 
well known, that when he became pope he had a 
family of five children, four boys and one daugh- 
ter. He made a regular practice of selling bish- 



72 



oprics and other ecclesiastical benefices, to enrich 
himself and his family. Though profane and va- 
rious religious writers do not all agree in their 
judgment concerning the disorderly conduct of 
this man, many atrocities committed by him are 
well-ascertained facts. History will always ac- 
cuse him of the crimes of poisoning, simony, and 
false-swearing, of reckless debauchery, nay of in- 
cest with his own daughter. In political matters 
he formed alliances with all the princes of his 
time, but his ambition and perfidy never failed to 
find him a pretext for breaking his word, and dis- 
turbing the peace. He engaged Charles VIII. of 
France to enter Italy, in order to conquer the 
kingdom of Naples, and as soon as that prince 
had succeeded in the enterprise, he entered into 
a league with the Venetians and the emperor 
Maximilian to rob him of his conquest. He sent 
a nuncio to the Sultan Bajazet to entreat his as- 
sistance against Charles, promising him perpetual 
friendship, in case of compliance ; but after the 
receipt of a large remittance from the Turks, he 
treacherously delivered Zizim, the brother of Baj- 
azet, then at the court of Rome, into the hands 
of Charles. As a singular example of Alexander's 
arrogance, his bull may be mentioned, by which 
he took upon him to divide the new world be- 
tween the kings of Spain and Portugal, granting 
to the former all the territory on the west of an 
imaginary line passing from north to south, at 



73 

one hundred leagues distance from the Cape de 
Verd Islands. Alexander possessed eloquence and 
address, but a total lack of noble sentiments ren- 
dered him altogether unfit for his sacred station. 
Poisoned wine, which had been prepared for cer- 
tain cardinals whose riches tempted the cupidity 
of his holiness, was given him by mistake, and 
ended his profligate career. Some writers have 
questioned the truth of this account of Alexan- 
der's death, but there is nothing in the relation 
inconsistent with the acknowledged character of 
this pontiff. Lowness of feelings and lowness of 
brain are seen together. 

Fig. 2. — Fr. Oberlin, Pastor of Five Villages among 
the Voguesian Mountains, 

This is an extraordinary head, a form that a 
phrenologist loves to contemplate. There is little 
brain at the basis, whilst all the upper and front 
regions are unusually large. The posterior sinci- 
pital portion being also in great proportion, inde- 
pendence of mind, steadiness, and perseverance 
in every pursuit and undertaking, will be prom- 
inent features in the exalted moral and religious 
character indicated by the rest of the head. Self- 
esteem will here become dignity, benevolence and 
veneration be blended with, and made inseparable 
from wisdom. In a word, such a cerebral organ- 
ization approaches in excellence the idea which 
phrenologists arc apt to form of that of Jesus. 
10 



74 

This model of christian piety found the inhab- 
itants of his parish, isolated in five different vil- 
lages, poor, ignorant, agitated by henious pas- 
sions, and without the most necessary means of 
comfortable existence. But by laboring unremit- 
tingly he, by degrees, succeeded in changing their 
wretched condition. He taught them to cultivate 
potatoes, flax, and such vegetables as succeeded 
best in light and sandy soils. He laid out a nursery, 
in order to supply the peasants with trees of va- 
rious kinds, and shewed them the advantages 
they would reap by attending to their cultivation. 
He gave instructions to the children himself, teach- 
ing the younger to read, write, and calculate; while 
he lectured to the more advanced in age, upon the 
cultivation of fruit-trees, the principles of agricul- 
ture, and the noxious and useful qualities of the 
plants which the country produced. He particu- 
larly accustomed them to order and cleanliness. 

The good pastor, with his parishioners at his 
back, actually worked at the formation of conven- 
ient ways from one village to another, and of a 
good and ready communication with the great 
road leading to Strasburg. To this city he sent 
children to become artisans, such as tailors, shoe- 
makers, smiths, and carpenters, a female to learn 
midwifery, and a promising youth to study medi- 
cine and surgery. He himself had some knowl- 
edge of the healing art, used the lancet in cases 
of necessity, and preserved the most necessary 



m jviii. 




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,-Pt ///^> 








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A Cufjt-n, 6C1. 



'.pen, a. u.i > on. 



Smith 



75 



remedies in his house, which he distributed as he 
thought they were required. He devoted his tal- 
ents, time, labors, and whole life to the welfare 
of his flock. He persuaded a benevolent family, 
Legrand, to favor his philanthropic views, and 
to transfer their manufactory of ribands from 
Basle to his parish, and to furnish employment to 
the people. 

Besides his vast care of all worldly concerns, 
he paid the greatest attention to moral and reli- 
gious instruction, which he enforced in the most 
effectual manner by deeds as well as words. He 
ended a law-suit in which the parish had been in- 
volved for many years, and he brought good will 
and mutual love to dwell with his flock, instead 
of discord. He well deserves the title father, 
which his parishioners have given him. Their 
love and gratitude, surely will not terminate with 
his existence, and the good he has done will live 
long after he is dust. 



PLATE XVIII. 

Fig 1. — Don Manuel Godoi, the Prince of Peace. 

This head is round, and particularly broad 
above the ears ; it may be aptly enough compared 
with that of a cat. The upper or sincipital re- 
gion is very small, and much contracted ; the 



7G 



forehead is insignificant, particularly in the quar- 
ter of the reflective organs. Individuality, event- 
uality, and melody, are the most prominent parts. 
A brain like this adapts itself readily to external 
circumstances, and follows the tide of occurren- 
ces, viewing personal advantages particularly ; it 
therefore fits an individual to make his way in the 
world, but no man with such a form of head de- 
serves to be intrusted with the management of 
great affairs. He is incapable of understanding 
principles, and can never feel the superiority of 
ultimate and general happiness over momentary 
and individual gratifications. He is only destined 
by nature to make up the number of her crea- 
tures, to enjoy personal existence, and to make 
room for others. 

Don Manuel Godio, born at Badajos, in 1764, 
of noble, but indigent parents, went with his 
brother, Don Louis Godoi, to Madrid in quest of 
a situation. Both had an agreeable voice, and 
played well on the guitar. Their musical talent 
was a passport for them into good society, and a 
means of gaining them powerful protectors. They 
succeeded in obtaining admission into the royal 
life-guards. Their whole income was limited to 
their pay, 1 Od. sterling per day. So extreme was 
their poverty, that Don Manuel is reported often 
to have lived on dry bread, and to have had no 
change of linen. His brother got acquainted with 
a chambermaid of the palace, who made mention 



77 



of his mirsical talents to the queen. Orders were 
given to bring Don Louis before her majesty. 
She was delighted with his performance, and 
applauded him warmly. Then he replied, ' Ah, 
madam, what would her majesty say if she heard 
my brother!' Immediately the queen command- 
ed this prodigy to be brought into her presence. 
Don Manuel possessed every requisite necessary 
to please and to ensure success ; an elegant form, 
an agreeable insinuating face, a fine voice, and 
very great skill upon the guitar. He delighted 
the queen to such a degree, that from the first 
interview she determined on making his fortune, 
and proceeded with an extraordinary zeal. Some 
of the courtiers spoke with rapture to the king 
of Don Manuel's talents. His majesty himself 
then desired to hear him, and his feelings were 
so much excited, that ho devoted to the charm- 
ing youth a particular affection. Don Manuel 
was at once promoted from the rank of a simple 
guardsman to that of major in the regiment, of 
which the king was colonel. Before long he was 
made counsellor of the state, then secretary of 
the state, next prime-minister, with the title of 
Duke of Alcudia, and in 1795, when Spain sep- 
arated from the coalition against France, he re- 
ceived the title of Prince of Peace, the rank of 
grandee of the first order, an estate worth 60,000 
piastres per annum, and the chain and badge of 
the golden fleece. 



78 



He possessed great fluency of speech, graceful 
manners, and a winning countenance. By de- 
grees he conceived a great idea of his own capac- 
ity and deserts ; he could no longer brook oppo- 
sition, and even braved the Prince of Asturias. 
In 1796, he signed the articles of an offensive and 
defensive alliance with the French republic, made 
common cause with Buonaparte, to the ruin of 
his country ; attacked Portugal, and received the 
title of Commander-in-chief of the sea and land 
forces, and of Grand Admiral of Castile. He 
married a cousin of the king of Spain, excited the 
king against his own son, and sold his country and 
Portugal to France ; but having at length fallen 
into disgrace, he was glad to regain his freedom 
by emigration. His intellectual powers were evi- 
dently very middling, but his immorality was ex- 
traordinary. A cerebral organization like that of 
Don Manuel Godoi will never manifest senti- 
ments esteemed in an Aristides, a Walsingham, or 
a Jeannin. 

Fig. 2. — Peter Jeannin, commonly called the Presi- 
dent Jeannin, 

Such a forehead fits a man for the study of 
every science ; it will raise him to eminence in 
every profession, while the great development of 
the sincipital region will keep him in the path of 
righteousness. The whole brain is only compat- 






79 

ible with nobleness of mind and elevation of char- 
acter. All views which emanate from such a head 
will be extensive, and beyond the reach of com- 
mon understandings; moreover, they will be ena- 
bled by soundness of judgment and generosity of 
sentiment. 

P. Jeannin, born in 1540, even from infancy 
displayed great talents: he was brought up to 
the law, and first appeared in the quality of advo- 
cate in the parliament of Burgundy. He soon 
distinguished himself by his eloquence, and the 
force of his arguments. He was frank and just. 
The states of Burgundy appointed him agent for 
the affairs of the province. It was Jeannin who 
persuaded the lieutenant-general of Burgundy, 
De Charny, to postpone the execution of the 
order for perpetrating, at Dijon, the same horrid 
massacre of the protestants on St. Bartholomew's 
day, which took place at Paris and other cities. 
He protested that it was impossible the king 
should persist in such a cruel purpose, and a 
courier arrived a few days after to revoke the 
order. This was the more meritorious in Jeannin, 
as he had been induced by the zeal which the 
leaguers affected for religion and the good of the 
state, to join their party. He was attached to 
the Duke of Mayenne, and deputed by him to 
negotiate with Philip II. of Spain, the declared 
protector of the league. 

Jeannin soon discovered that the real design of 



80 

Philip, in supporting- the civil war in France, was 
to gain possession of some of its best provinces. 
He, therefore, on his return, exerted his influence 
t6 detach the Duke from the Spaniards, and dis- 
pose him to acknowledge his lawful sovereign. 
After Mayenne had returned to his duty, Henry 
IV. was desirous of engaging Jeannin in his ser- 
vice ; and when the latter honestly objected that 
his majesty should prefer an old leaguer to so 
many persons of known fidelity, Henry replied, 
that lie who had been faithful to a duke, would 
never be otherwise to a king. This was a true 
phrenological judgment. 

Henry conferred upon Jeannin the office of 
first president of the parliament of Burgundy, 
intending that he should dispose of it to another, 
and devote himself entirely to attendance in the 
council of state. From this time he became one 
ef Henry's principal advisers and confidants, and- 
was always selected to conduct the more delicate 
negotiations. He assisted in drawing up the 
Edict of N antes. Henry called him the good man r 
communicated to him his most secret thoughts, 
and consulted him upon his nearest and dearest 
interests. Having once discovered that a secret 
of state had been revealed, he complained of it at 
the council-board, saying at the same time, while 
he took the president Jeannin by the hand, ' I 
answer for this good man ; the rest of you must 
examine one another. 5 — 'Jeannin,' said Henry, 



PI III 




JVtf.l. 







mrjsfdot 



Fnh VitMcwtfi-, G<t,pen,fiCLi/cm 



Art n t/t> ^m itfi&'fii's.&l tJ/ >' 



81 



on another occasion, always thinks well ; he never 
conceals a thought from me, and he never flatters 
me.' 

After the death of Henry IV. Jeannin was 
intrusted by the queen-mother with the manage- 
ment of the most important affairs of the kingdom, 
especially with the administration of the finances ; 
and in the midst of universal disorder he preserved 
his integrity of character unsullied. The mod- 
erate fortune he left behind him is the best proof 
of his rectitude. He died at the age of eighty- 
two, having been minister during twenty-seven 
years. He possessed a truly elevated mind. On 
one occasion, when asked by a prince who meant 
to disconcert him, whose son he was, he replied, 
* The son of my virtues.' His name is illustrious 
on account of his talents, his virtues, and the ser- 
vices he rendered to his country. 



PLATE XIX. 

Danton and Malesherbes. 

It is much to be regretted, in a phrenological 
point of view, that many of the individuals who 
displayed great mental energies during the French 
revolution, are represented, in their portraits, 
either with perukes or long hair, which prevents 
their cerebral organization from being distinctly 
seen. The difference between the two heads 
11 



82 



represented in this plate is, however, conspicuous 
enough. In fig. 1. Danton, the upper part of the 
forehead is flat, and the head generally is broad 
rather than high ; it is particularly large laterally 
above the ears ; the organs of benevolence and of 
veneration are small ; those of the reflective pow- 
ers but moderate. In fig. 2. Malesherbes, on the 
contrary, all these cerebral parts are strongly 
marked ; the whole head is very elevated, and 
much higher than it is broad. 

Now Danton was renowned for his strong ani- 
mal feelings, for his audaciousness, impetuosity, 
and vehement elocution ; for his bold conceptions, 
and his violent means of execution ; but at the 
same time his incapacity as a leader, under try- 
ing circumstances, as the director of such a des- 
olating tempest as the French revolution, is ad- 
mitted. 

Malesherbes, on the other hand, was a philoso- 
pher, in private life as well as at the head of the 
government, in prosperous and adverse circum- 
stances, in easy and in difficult situations. He 
was devoid of all party spirit, without ambition, 
unostentatious, and the foe alike of despotism 
and of licentiousness, by whatever name entitled ; 
but he was the friend of truth, reason, modera- 
tion, and peace ; the admirer of benevolent and 
generous sentiments. His speeches are rare 
models of truth unfolded without any mixture of 
dissimulation, without any of the false coloring 



PHI 




1-ia.l. 



- 




*&*. 



MFX iirt 



W>. />■■// ~M//rsh, Capen.&Lifori. 



A/i /i hi , ^/rt/t//,A 'Cr)'S 1/t/f- 



83 



of exaggeration, and without any tinge of irrev- 
erence. They abound with sound reasoning, 
and shew frequent traces of unobtrusive firmness 
and of respectful sincerity. The grandeur of soul 
with which he bore his proscription, and the 
magnanimity he displayed in defending the unfor- 
tunate Louis XVI. of France, at the expense of 
his life, are facts generally known and universally 
admired. 

How is it possible to overlook the influence of 
the brain on the manifestations of the mind ! Is 
it not lamentable to see so little care taken to 
preserve specimens of the principal of nature's 
works ; I mean, of the real cerebral configuration 
of those who excel or are eminent in any way? 
By using these means more will be done in ad- 
vancing the knowledge of man, than has hitherto 
been effected by all the learned societies and all 
the schools of philosophy that have ever existed. 



PLATE XX. 

Fig. 1. — Pope Gregory VII. 

Phrenologists being convinced of the existence, 
immutability, and universality of nature's laws, 
and of the influence of the brain on manifesta- 
tions of mind, from the pope, emperor, and king, 
down to the lowest grade in society, will always 
regret to see the supreme power vested in a head 



84 



such as is here represented. The basilar and 
occipital regions are extremely large, in propor- 
tion to the upper region, and the greatest length 
of fibre is between the ear and the organs of self- 
esteem and firmness. The organs of the intel- 
lectual faculties are large, but they will only serve 
as means of gratifying the lower feelings. The 
fulness immediately above and behind the ears, 
combined with great self-esteem and firmness, 
whilst benevolence and veneration are small, will 
produce brutality of sentiments, rudeness, and 
roughness of manners. Such a brain is not made 
to imitate the founder of Christianity, who was 
charity itself, and desired that his disciples might 
be distinguished by their mutual love and for- 
bearance. 

Gregory VII. indeed, is an excellent proof that 
eminence is not achieved by superior moral 
endowments alone, that exalted rank does not 
bestow the qualities necessary to honor the situa- 
tion on every one of its possessors, and that 
Christianity has not abolished the laws of organ- 
ization established by the Creator. He, among 
many others who have styled themselves Christ's 
representatives, evidently acted in direct opposi- 
tion to the Christian law. Once secured in the 
papal chair, and his election confirmed by the 
emperor of Germany, Gregory began to put the 
vast designs he had formed into execution. The 
power which he resolved to usurp over all sove- 



85 



reign princes he first exerted against Philip I., 
King of France. He wrote a very sharp letter to 
Philip, reproaching him that churches and monas- 
teries were plundered with impunity, and that 
the king himself had his share in the booty ; 
threatening him likewise with the censures of the 
church, if these abuses were not speedily re- 
dressed. 

The following year, 1074, he determined to 
compel the clergy to observe celibacy, which sev- 
eral of his predecessors had already attempted 
without success, and utterly to do away with sim- 
ony, or the practice of trading in bishoprics and 
other benefices. With this view he assembled a 
council at Rome, where he proposed and carried 
the following decrees : — 1. That those who had, 
by simony, obtained any dignity or office in the 
church, should be excluded from the exercise of 
the office thus obtained. 2. That no man should 
thenceforth presume to sell or buy any ecclesiasti- 
cal dignity whatever. 3. That the married clerks 
should not perform any clerical office. 4. That 
the people should not attend at the masses, nor 
any other sacred function performed by the mar- 
ried clerks. 5. That those who had wives should 
put them away, and that none should thenceforth 
be ordained, who did not promise to observe con- 
tinence during his whole life. 

He formed the destructive project of relieving 
the eastern Christians oppressed by the Saracens, 



86 



excommunicated the king of France, and issued a 
decree, taking the nomination and investiture of 
bishops out of the hands of princes. This decree 
was a declaration of war against all Christian 
princes ; but Gregory VII. thought it a point well 
worth contending for, well worthy of the confu- 
sion, civil wars, rebellions, and bloodshed that it 
might occasion ; for he would, by carrying it into 
execution, bring the disposal of the whole wealth 
of the church into his own hands, and thus render 
the clergy every where independent of their prin- 
ces, and dependent upon him alone, as he alone 
could reward and prefer them. For ages the 
popes themselves had not been consecrated till 
after the decree of their election was signed by 
the emperor ; Gregory himself had complied with 
this ceremony, but he declared such a state of 
things heresy and idolatry, and resolved that it 
should continue no longer. 

He therefore acquainted the emperor with this 
famous resolution, and forbade him thenceforth to 
meddle in anywise with ecclesiastical prefer- 
ments, to grant investitures, or dispose of vacant 
churches upon any pretext whatever, and threat- 
ened him with excommunication if he refused to 
comply with these demands. 

As Henry, however, paid no kind of attention 
to the decree against investitures, Gregory sent 
legates into Germany to summon him, in the 
pope's name, to appear in person at Rome, on the 



87 



Monday of the second week in Lent, 1076, in or- 
der to give an account of his conduct and clear 
himself of the crimes laid to his charge. The 
legates added that they were ordered by his holi- 
ness to let him know, that if he did not obey the 
summons, and appear on the day appointed, he 
would on that very day be cut off with an ana- 
thema from the body of the holy apostolic church. 

The king, provoked beyond measure at such 
an extraordinary summons, in order to render the 
sentence of excommunication, with which he was 
threatened by the pope, ineffectual, resolved to 
have his holiness formally deposed in a council. 
He invited the bishops and abbots to meet at 
Worms, in order to concert jointly with him the 
most proper means for delivering the church from 
the tyranny of a man, who, in defiance of the 
canons, exercised a power which none of his 
predecessors had ever claimed, and who plainly 
shewed, by his whole conduct, that he aimed 
at nothing less than the subjection of both the 
church and the state to his lawless and arbitrary 
will. 

The pope, then, was deposed in the council at 
Worms, and the sentence immediately communi- 
cated to the bishops of Lombardy, who assembled 
at Pavia, and not only confirmed the sentence, 
but swore upon the gospel, that they would no 
longer acknowledge Gregory as pope. Gregory 
received the news of these events without betray- 



88 



ing the least sign of resentment. He only de- 
clared in the council which he now assembled, 
that nothing should ever deter him from correct- 
ing the scandalous abuses which prevailed in the 
church, and that he was ready even to suffer mar- 
tyrdom, and to shed the last drop of his blood in 
so good a cause. The bishops applauded his 
firmness, and assured him, to a man, that they 
would stand by him at the expense, if necessary, 
of their lives. The emperor was, therefore, ex- 
communicated, and in his turn deposed with great 
solemnity, in haughty and violent terms. The 
pope absolved all Christians from the oath of alle- 
giance which they had taken, or might take to 
him, and forbade any one to serve him as a sove- 
reign. The bishops of Germany and Lombardy 
were partly excommunicated, and partly threat- 
ened with an anathema, if they did not, within a 
limited time, repent of their wickedness, return to 
their duty, and appear personally at Rome, to 
plead their cause. 

Gregory took care to acquaint the whole chris- 
tian world with his decree, claiming the right 
of deposing princes. He countenanced a league 
against the emperor, and wrote to the princes, 
bishops, and people, empowering them to choose 
another monarch, if Henry did not turn from 
his wickedness, and by sincere repentance ren- 
der himself worthy of being replaced on the 
throne, which he had deservedly forfeited by 



89 



his disobedience to, and contempt of, the apos- 
tolic see. 

The enemies of the emperor availed themselves 
of the excommunication to stir up the people 
against him ; even his friends were afraid to lend 
him any assistance, so long as he continued under 
that sentence ; he therefore resolved to procure 
his absolution. Being informed that the pope 
had left Rome, and was coming to Germany, he 
set out in great haste, with his wife and his son, 
yet an infant, to meet him and to obtain absolu- 
tion. He undertook this journey in the depth of 
winter, which that year was extremely severe ; 
he crossed the Alps, often in imminent danger of 
being buried in the snow, or falling down the 
precipices. Some of his train perished in the 
passage, and others lost, by the excessive cold, 
the use of their limbs. 

In the mean time, Gregory had journeyed as 
far as Lombardy, and when informed of the ar- 
rival of the emperor in Italy, he retired to Can- 
usium, a strong castle in the diocese of Reggio, 
belonging to the famous Countess Matilda, who 
always declared for the pope, followed in every 
thing his directions, and accompanied him where- 
ever he went. 

Henry was weak enough to send deputies 

thither to the pope, and to entreat his holiness to 

absolve him from the excommunication, as he 

had for that purpose alone undertaken so long 

12 



96^ 



and so difficult a journey, in so severe a season. 
The pope was with difficulty prevailed upon to 
admit the suppliant to his presence. ' If he be 
truly penitent,' said he, at last, ' let him come, 
and by his submission atone for his long disobe- 
dience to the decrees of the holy apostolic see. ? ^ 
The emperor, upon his arrival at the first gate of 
the castle of Canusium, surrounded with a triple 
wall, was told that he must dismiss all his attend- 
ants and enter alone. He did so, — the first gate 
was then shut ; at the second he was required to 
divest himself of all the insignia of royalty, to put 
on in their stead a coarse woollen tunic, and to 
stand barefooted in that garb, in the month of 
January, till it should please his holiness to com- 
mand the third gate to be opened to admit him 
to his presence. In this condition he was forced 
to wait three whole days, fasting from morning 
to night, and imploring the mercy of God and the 
pope. This hard-hearted man shewed not the 
smallest sign of compassion, whilst all the other 
persons of distinction with him were touched 
with pity on seeing so great a prince in suffering, 
and reduced to so deplorable a state. Finally, 
on the fourth day, the pope permitted the mon- 
arch to appear before him, and absolved him un- 
der these most severe conditions : that he should 
appear at the time and at the place which the 
pope should appoint, to answer the charges 
brought against him, and should own the pope 



91 



for his judge ; that till judgment was given, alid 
his cause was finally determined, he should lay 
aside all badges of royalty, — should not meddle, 
upon any pretence whatever, with public affairs, 
and should levy no money from the people but 
what was necessary for the support of his family ; 
that all who had taken an oath of allegiance to 
him should be absolved from that oath before God 
as well as before men ; that if he should clear 
himself of the crimes laid to his charge, and re- 
main emperor, he should be ever obedient and sub- 
missive to the pope, and if he failed in any of 
the conditions, his absolution should be null, — he 
should be deemed guilty of the crimes laid to his 
charge as if he had owned them,— should never 
again be heard, — the lords of the empire be ab- 
solved from their oaths, and be at full liberty to 
elect another sovereign. 

Henry, when free, soon changed his mind: 
Gregory, therefore, encouraged the Germans to 
rebellion, and a new emperor, Rudolph, duke of 
Suabia, was elected in his stead. 

Gregory, towards the end of his life, was obliged 
to retire to Salerno. He remained to the last 
inflexible, haughty, and vindictive. He had un- 
common abilities, but he grossly misapplied them 
to the most wicked of purposes, — to the making 
himself sole lord, spiritual and temporal, over the 
whole earth, and becoming by that means the 
sole disposer, not only of all ecclesiastical digni- 



92 



ties and preferments, but of empires, states and 
kingdoms. Such a power vested in the bishops of 
Rome was unknown to the world until Gregory 
VII. occupied the see. His insatiable ambition, 
his unbending haughtiness, and the miseries he 
caused to France and Germany, explain satisfac- 
torily why the bishops of neither of these coun- 
tries even consented to add his name to the cal- 
endar of the saints. 

Fig. 2.— The Pope Pius VII. 

In this head the organs of the animal propensi- 
ties are small, those of the higher sentiments large. 
Self-esteem and firmness are great, but they are 
accompanied with justice, cautiousness, venera- 
tion, benevolence, and good intellectual powers. 
The perceptive and reflective faculties are full, 
and the organ of order is particularly developed. 
This is the head of a well-intentioned, noble- 
minded, and prudent man, who will not give up a 
good cause, but will never act with temerity. His 
basilar region being small, he will avoid all violent 
measures, but persevere with confidence in the 
path of truth. 

Pius VII. lived under very trying circumstances, 
and his mind was tested in many and various 
ways, but he always acted with prudence, and 
never compromised the dignity of the eminent 
situation with which he was intrusted. As a pri- 



93 



vate man Pius was truly gentle, humane, prudent, 
and virtuous. His cerebral organization is very 
different from that of Gregory VII. and in this 
difference the phrenologist perceives the expla- 
nation of the very dissimilar conduct of these two 
pontiffs. Had Pius been organized as Gregory 
VII. his bearing would not have been character- 
ized by that noble firmness, that pious resigna- 
tion which distinguished it. The firmness and 
self-esteem of Pius were mitigated by benevo- 
lence and veneration, and his whole life exhibits 
a mind unacquainted with rigor, pride, or stub- 
bornness. 



94 



CHAPTER II. 

Portraits of Individuals remarkable in a religious 
point of view. 

In every age the religious sentiments have un- 
questionably exerted a most powerful influence 
over the condition of mankind. The great bulk 
have still been, and will long continue to be, led 
blindfolded, and the few constituted capable of 
reasoning and deducing, will not yet dare to with- 
draw the veil that conceals the sanctuary of faith. 
The disposition to religion is certainly inherent 
in the nature of man ; but when we cast our eyes 
over the world at large, we perceive his religious 
ideas interwoven with erroneous conceptions to 
such a degree, that it seems impossible to sep- 
arate the little that is good, reasonable, and in 
conformity with proper notions of the Divine and 
of human dignity, from the abundance that is 
noxious, unreasonable, and unworthy of rather 
superior humanity, much more of an all-wise and 
perfect Creator* 

The object of the following portraits is to fix 
the reader's attention on the differences in the 
cerebral organization of religious persons, among 
whom veneration in one case, and in another mar- 
vellousness, predominates, each being afterwards 



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95 



modified by every variety of combination with 
other fundamental powers. 



PLATE XXL 

Fig. 1. — Francis Paris. 

This head is very high, but it is narrow in the 
sincipital region ; the organs of benevolence, ven- 
eration, and marvellousness, are particularly prom- 
inent. Such a brain will never fit a man to excel 
in any department of the arts or sciences ; it is 
the attribute of a weak, superstitious mind — of 
a mind that believes what it is told, that cannot 
distinguish between the spirit and the letter of 
religious language. One with such a brain, if 
born a Jew, will worship after the manner of the 
Jews ; if sprung from Roman Catholic parents, 
he will follow the ceremonies of the Romish 
church ; descended from Mahometans, or from 
parents professing any other creed, he will still 
feel inclined blindly to worship as his forefathers 
did before him. He will be of the number of 
those who believe that a multitude of words de- 
serves to be heard, and who flatter themselves 
that they can contribute to the beatitude of the 
Supreme Being. 

The Deacon Paris was the eldest son of a 
counsellor of the parliament, and born in Paris, 
in the year 1690. He disliked the profession of 



96 

the law, by pursuing which he might have suc- 
ceeded to his father's appointment , he preferred 
embracing the ecclesiastical life. He thought 
himself unworthy of any higher grade than that of 
deacon. Upon the death of his father, he re- 
nounced all claims to his patrimonial inheritance 
in favor of a younger brother, and devoted him- 
self to what he conceived to be a life of merito- 
rious poverty. Having made trial of different 
secluded spots, in which to pass his days, he at 
length fixed upon a house in the suburbs of St, 
IVIarceau, where he spent his time in prayer and 
the most rigorous acts of penance, supporting him- 
self by making stockings for the poor, with whom 
he divided the earnings of his labor. 

By this course of life he acquired a character 
for extraordinary sanctity with the superstitious 
populace and pious old women, who, led by igno- 
rance and credulity, looked upon such mortifica- 
tions as the perfection of virtue. He died when 
he was only thirty-seven years of age, probably 
on account of the severity of the discipline which 
he observed. He wrote commentaries on the 
gospel, and several epistles, but his works are 
indifferent performances, and never had many 
readers. 

He was buried in the church-yard of St. Me- 
dard, at Paris, where his brother erected a mon- 
ument to his memory, which the great reputa- 
tion of his sanctity drew many people to visit. 



97 



They paid their devotions to him as to a saint. 
The jansenist party, to whom he belonged, con- 
sidered him as a subject proper to revive their 
credit against the Jesuits, who were supported by 
the court. Within five years after his death, re- 
ports of miracles wrought at his tomb were confi- 
dently propagated, not only in the city of Paris, 
but through the whole of France. In consequence 
of this, immense crowds were perpetually pressing 
to the place, decoyed by the artifices of the 
crafty; and many went away proclaiming the 
benefits received at the tomb of the saint, in the 
cure or alleviation of various diseases. In vain 
did men of sober sense endeavor to disabuse the 
multitude ; nor could all the power of the govern- 
ment give a check to the spread of this supersti- 
tion, till by enclosing the tomb within a wall, all 
access to it was effectually precluded. Though 
this expedient put an end to the external worship 
of the saint, it did not, however, for some time, 
shake the credit of his miracles, detailed accounts 
of which were drawn up and distributed among 
the people. Several collections of these narra- 
tions were published, consisting of above one 
hundred in the whole, the authenticity and ac- 
curacy of which were attested by clergy of the 
first dignity, who presented a report upon them 
to the archbishops, with a petition signed by 
above twenty churchmen, praying that they might 
be formally registered, and solemnly published to 
the people as true miracles. 
13 



98 



Fig. 2. — Augustus Baker. 

The basilar region in this portrait is small in 
proportion to the sincipital. The organs of the 
moral and religious feelings are very large, and 
their energy would be increased by the great 
ideality and cautiousness. This is the cerebral 
organization of a gloomy mystic character, de- 
lighting in ascetic contemplations. A mind mani- 
festing itself by means of such organs will be con- 
stantly occupied with devotion and supernatural 
considerations. The faith will be fervent, but 
never without an admixture of fear and ap- 
prehension. All kinds of austere and melancholic 
conceptions are the offspring of similar brains. 
Individuals so endowed are slow in their doings, 
and commonly dark-minded ; discontented with 
the world and mankind, they are apt to prefer re- 
tirement, or even perfect solitude, to any partici- 
pation in the business of life. They are also ready 
to conceive, that in yielding to such inclinations 
they will be likely to render themselves agreeable 
to the Author of the universe. 



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99 

PLATE XXIL 

Fig. 1. — Constantine Cajetanus, 

Born at Syracuse, in 1560, he became a bene 
dictine, and distinguished himself by his literary 
labors and his extraordinary anxiety for the glory 
of his order, among the members of which he 
ranked the author of every work of reputation, 
and every individual of personal merit, or great 
intellectual capacity. It was sufficient that a man 
of celebrity had passed a night in a Benedictine 
monastery to declare him a Benedictine. It was 
this circumstance that led the Cardinal Cabellucci 
to say : — ' I apprehend that before long Cajetanus 
will transform St. Peter into a Benedictine.' He 
maintained that Gersen, an abbot of his order, 
was the author of the work entitled, Imitation de 
Jesus Christ. Cajetanus introduced severe regu- 
lations among the Benedictines, and was con- 
stantly occupied with holy things. 

The phrenological explanation of this peculiar 
character is easily deduced from the cerebral 
organization. The organs of the religious senti- 
ments were large, and combined with great firm- 
ness, self-esteem, and love of approbation. The 
piety became severe by firmness and self-esteem ; 
whilst love of approbation and self-esteem placed 
the order of Benedictines above all the others, 
and declared it the most glorious. The eventu- 



100 



ality, individuality, and language, being large, ex- 
plain the fondness of Cajetanus for literary occu- 
pations. Men so organized are commonly brilliant 
in society ; notwithstanding their religious opin- 
ions and severe principles, they are also easily 
worked upon by worldly distinctions. These are 
the beings, too, who introduce pomp and cere- 
mony, and observance, into the worship of the 
Supreme Being. They are not satisfied with the 
text — ' God is a spirit, and is to be adored in 
spirit and in truth.' 

Fig. 2. — John Crasset, Jesuit, 

Born at Dieppe, in 1618, had great aptitude for 
scientific pursuits. He became professor of phi- 
losophy, and afterwards preacher. He also com- 
posed many works of an ascetic character, and 
during twenty-three years was director of the 
Jesuitic establishment for gentlemen at Paris. 

The organs of the perceptive faculties, of lan- 
guage, and, indeed, of the forehead generally, are 
in large proportion. The organ of marvellousness 
is not more than full, and those of acquisitiveness, 
secretiveness, cautiousness, and firmness, are 
large. Crasset had a brain, which gives what 
the French call savoirfaire, and I conceive that it 
must have been very difficult to gain a knowledge 
of all his private thoughts. His religious feelings 
were not strong enough ever to have made him 



PLIXIII. 




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JVp 



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J\/-'b. 'bylla/rsh, Ccopen, SCMyen 



An'ni'n ■ .Srn/'th HC Co'.s Zi'th. 



101 



forget himself. Those who have such brains as 
John Crasset are practical spirits, and understand 
the management of business to the greatest possi- 
ble advantage. Crasset was well chosen to super- 
intend the interests of the order, and to direct the 
Jesuitical establishment at Paris. 



PLATE XXIII. 

Fig. 1. — Joseph Priestley, 

It is to be regretted that both this and the next 
portrait were taken with the head enveloped in a 
peruke. The organs of the perceptive and reflec- 
tive faculties in Joseph Priestley's head are large, 
particularly individuality, form, size, language, 
comparison, and causality. This is the brain 
which leads him who is so fortunate as to be en- 
dowed with it in pursuit of solid information, and 
which produces general soundness of judgment. 
The man thus gifted is more disposed to believe 
in positive facts than in marvellous reports. 

Priestley was born of parents of the Calvinistic 
persuasion, at Field-head, near Leeds. He was, 
in his youth, adopted by an aunt, a woman of ex- 
emplary piety and benevolence, who sent him for 
education to several schools in the neighborhood, 
where he acquired an extensive knowledge of the 
learned languages, including Hebrew. He was 
destined for the ministry, but indifferent health 



102 



caused his views for a time to be turned towards 
trade. His constitution becoming stronger, how- 
ever, he resumed his first purpose, and en- 
tered a dissenting academy at Daventry. There 
he spent three years, during which his acute 
and vigorous mind was never unemployed. He 
acquired many new ideas of various kinds, and 
changed the orthodox opinions in which he had 
been educated, for doctrines usually called heret- 
ical. 

On quitting the academy he accepted an invita- 
tion to officiate as minister to a small congrega- 
tion at ISeedham-market, in Suffolk. Not having 
the talents necessary to a popular preacher, how- 
ever, and falling under suspicion of nursing hereti- 
cal opinions, he passed his time in obscurity, but 
assiduously employed in theological and scriptural 
studies. His first publication was an English 
grammar on a new plan, for the use of his scholars. 
Gradually he began to distinguish himself by his 
writings in various branches of science and litera- 
ture. Several successive publications, particu- 
larly his History of Electricity, made his name 
extensively known. In this work he gave a clear 
and well-digested account of the rise and progress 
of that branch of science, and related many new 
and ingeniously-devised experiments of his own, 
the first essays of that inventive and sagacious 
spirit, by which he afterwards rendered himself 
so celebrated in natural philosophy. He at the 



103 



same time pursued his theological studies. A 
number of publications, on different topics con- 
nected with religion, announced the zeal with 
which he was inspired. He engaged in a contro- 
versy respecting the right and ground of dissent- 
ing in general. Theology occupied a principal 
share of his attention, and was his favorite study ; 
his works in this department were a fertile cause 
of controversy, in which he engaged without reluc- 
tance, and also without those uneasy feelings of 
irritation which so commonly accompany warfare 
of the kind. He declared his conviction to be, 
that all ecclesiastical establishments were hostile 
to the rights of private judgment, and to the pro- 
pagation of truth ; he represented them as directly 
opposed to the spirit of Christianity. He neces- 
sarily irritated the established church by such 
heresies, and when he had done so he added 
another cause of even more general animosity, by 
expressing himself warmly in favor of the French 
revolution. This raised a storm which it would 
have been difficult to stand against, and he finally 
resolved to quit his country, hostile alike to his 
person and to his principles. He selected the 
United States of America for his retreat, influ- 
enced in his choice partly by family reasons, and 
partly allured by the civil and religious liberties 
which there so eminently prevail, and which he 
desired so eagerly to enjoy. 

Joseph Priestley was a man of the most perfect 



104 

simplicity and integrity. He laid open his mind 
on all occasions, pursuing his ends by direct 
means, and performing every social duty. His 
temper was easy and cheerful, kind and friendly. 
His manners were sweet and gentle in social in- 
tercourse ; and many, who entertained the strong- 
est prejudice against his opinions, were converted 
into friends on becoming acquainted with the 
man. Even when irritated by his opponents, he 
never used the language of animosity. He could 
be the friend of his antagonist. 

He had great activity, facility, and acuteness of 
mind, and perseverance in investigation ; he ex- 
celled in perspicuity of expression, and no exper- 
imentalist was ever more free from jealousy, or 
the petty vanity of prior discovery. Religion was 
to him the most important of all concerns, and 
that which chiefly excited the ardor of his mind. 
He believed in the proper humanity of Christ, 
rejecting his miraculous conception and the doc- 
trine of atonement ; he also believed in a future 
state, in which punishment is to be only emenda- 
tory, since all beings are to be finally happy. That 
his marvellousness and secretiveness were small, 
is easily perceived. The organs of justice and 
firmness were certainly large. 

Fig. 2. — Richard Price. 
In this head the organs of the perceptive and 



105 



reflective powers are of an uncommon magnitude, 
particularly those of individuality, size, calcula- 
tion, language, and causality. The organs of 
marvellousness and ideality are very large. The 
original picture is painted by Benjamin West, and 
the engraving, from which this figure is taken, is 
by Holloway. 

Dr. Price, universally known by his mathemat- 
ical, moral, and political writings, was the son of 
a dissenting minister at Brigend, in Wales. His 
father was a rigid Calvinist, but young Richard 
occasionally started his doubts and difficulties 
(his self-esteem and destructiveness being small,) 
and often incurred his father's displeasure by the 
arguments which he advanced against the tenets 
of his sect. By his great reflective powers and 
moral feelings, he cultivated the different branches 
of academical learning with extraordinary dili- 
gence and success, particularly the mathematical 
sciences, moral philosophy, and divinity. On ac- 
count of his perceptive and reflective faculties, 
and moral and religious feelings being strong, the 
books which he read were select rather than nu- 
merous ; but these he studied with the closest 
attention (by his great reflective powers.) He 
made his first appearance before the public as an 
author, in a Review of the principal Questions and 
Difficulties in Morals. There he contends for the 
propriety of recognizing understanding as neces- 
sary to establish morality, an eternal and immu- 
14 



106 



table entity, and not the arbitrary production of 
any power, but equally everlasting and necessary 
with all truth and reason. He was fond of uniting 
philosophy and piety. He was zealous for the 
great principles of civil and religious liberty, and 
for rational religious knowledge. His opinions, 
of course, displeased those who were fond of 
power, and they therefore endeavored to hold him 
up to the public odium. In all his doings we 
perceive great reflective powers, strong moral 
and religious feelings, and little combativeness, 
destructiveness, acquisitiveness, and self-esteem. 

The contents of his sermons are practical. His 
manner of delivering them was natural, unaffected, 
and very earnest. In his devotional exercises 
particularly, there was a great degree of fervor 
and sincerity. His private character was exem- 
plary and amiable. Of his disinterestedness he 
gave a striking instance, when, on removing from 
his native country into England, he divided the 
little his father had bequeathed him, between his 
two sisters, and only reserved a few pounds to 
defray the expenses of his journey to London. 

He abounded in natural goodness. His hours 
of study were frequently broken in upon for as- 
sistance and advice ; but he could never resist 
without reluctance even troublesome and unrea- 
sonable solicitations. A fifth part of his annual 
income was regularly devoted to charitable pur- 
poses, and he was laudably anxious to distribute 



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107 



it in such a way as might produce the greatest 
good. In the practice of these virtues he was 
devoid of ostentation. Simplicity and humility 
were among the strong features of his character. 
He attracted the attention and regard of all, 
without an effort to outshine any one, and with- 
out considering himself as a person of any con- 
sequence. In its place, or when called upon, he 
frequently displayed superior knowledge, and he 
was always as willing to receive as to give infor- 
mation. He discussed with candor on every 
subject, and was unaffected in receiving praise 
and in acknowledging defects. He was free from 
constraint and servility, in the highest company, 
and from haughtiness in the lowest. He was 
open to truth as he was fearless of making it 
known. 



PLATE XXIV. 

Fig. 1. — The Pope Martin V. 

In this portrait the basilar is much more de- 
veloped than the sincipital region. Such a brain 
always takes much less interest in general wel- 
fare than in individual and private views. The 
courage, destructiveness, secretiveness, acquisi- 
tiveness, firmness, self-esteem, and powerful per- 
ceptive faculties, produce an enterprising char- 
acter, and give practical skill. Such brains go 



108 



with the tide of circumstances, and choose the 
party with which the greatest advantages may be 
gained. Their benevolence and veneration are 
not active enough to keep the feelings which are 
common to man and animals under control. The 
perceptive faculties being considerable, and acting 
in combination with the above-mentioned feelings, 
will have no difficulty in finding out means for 
insuring success in all selfish views. Such a fore- 
head may acquire a large stock of ideas, and im- 
pose by borrowed knowledge, but it will attend 
little to general principles. Usefulness will be a 
leading feature in all the deeds of a man so con- 
stituted ; even his religious opinions will be es- 
teemed in proportion only as they are available 
in actual life. Did circumstances lead such a 
man to become a missionary, or did his great 
locality dispose him to enter on that vocation, he 
would not hesitate to use fear as a means of mak- 
ing converts. Every means, indeed, would be 
apt to appear good and admissible, provided he 
gained his object. 

History tells us that Martin V. when on the 
point of being elected to the papal dignity, very 
readily promised to favor the reformation of the 
church, in its head and its members; but having 
obtained possession of the popedom, he showed 
himself disinclined to yield in any point noxious 
to his interests. On the day of his coronation at 
Constance, where his election took place, he 



109 



rode through the city, in pontifical attire, on 
horseback, attended by the emperor on foot, 
holding his bridle on the right hand, and the 
elector of Brandenburg on the left, and followed 
by a crowd of princes, and the whole council. 
When he found that a reform of the church was 
earnestly wished for, he, under the pretext of a 
great deal of time being required for deliberation, 
left the business to a council, which was to meet 
at Pavia in the course of five years, and soon 
dissolved the council at Constance. Before the 
expiration of five years, a council was assembled 
at Pavia, whence, however, on account of the 
plague breaking out in that city, it was translated 
to Sienna. Here, again, several efforts were made 
towards the salutary work of reformation in the 
church and clergy, which were eluded and frus- 
trated under a variety of pretences; and when 
some of the bishops moved for the confirmation 
of the decree of the council of Constance, assert- 
ing the superiority of the council to the pope, 
Martin, to prevent that point, or any other con- 
cerning the power and authority of the apostolic 
see, from being brought into debate, dissolved 
the council, appointing another to meet at Basle, 
before the expiration of seven years. Martin 
made it a chief business to promote crusades 
against the Hussites of Bohemia ; he exhorted 
the emperor Sigismund, the king of Poland, and 
other princes, to unite, either in compelling those 



no 

heretics to return into the bosom of the church, 
or in extirpating them. He resembled the ma- 
jority of his predecessors, not only in their aver- 
sion for all measures tending to a reformation of 
the church, but also in their love of money and 
nepotism, preferring, in the disposal of lucrative 
employments, his relations to all others, however 
deserving, and by that means leaving them, at 
his death, possessed of immense wealth. Martin, 
soon after his arrival at Rome, caused the house 
in the neighborhood of the church of the Twelve 
Apostles, which belonged to his family, and in 
which he was born, to be pulled down, and a 
magnificent palace to be built in its room. Tem- 
poral concerns were sufficient reasons for him to 
excommunicate nations and princes. His mind 
was exceedingly evasive. He apparently always 
complied with reasonable proposals, but he con- 
stantly contrived to elude them, if contrary to his 
views. The emperor of Constantinople, Manuel 
Paleolagre, proposed a meeting or council of the 
Roman and Greek bishops, in order to effect a 
reconciliation of the two churches. Martin an- 
swered, that he was very willing to arrange this 
important affair, if the emperor would pay the 
expenses of all the Latin bishops and prelates 
who should journey to Constantinople. Martin 
knew beforehand that the emperor was not rich 
enough to furnish the sums necessary for such 
a purpose. His animal nature was evidently 



Ill 



stronger than the powers proper to man, just as 
his cerebral organization indicates. 



Fig .2. — Paul Lejeune, Jesuit and Missionary. 

This is one of the most noble forms of head 
that can be seen, and is an excellent model of what 
a missionary ought to be. The organ of locality, 
which gives a fondness for travelling, is large, 
and in combination with the organs of the per- 
ceptive powers, particularly individuality and lan- 
guage, in great proportion. The whole sincipital 
region is much developed ; great benevolence, 
veneration, and conscientiousness, are assisted 
by firmness, hope, and marvellousness. If an 
individual thus endowed give his wprd of pro- 
mise, he may be depended on ; he will be most 
unhappy if circumstances put it out of his power 
to fulfil it ; he will never think of changing his 
mind, unless the common welfare require it ; 
whilst a person with a brain like that of Martin 
V. (fig. 1. of the same plate) will merely attend 
to selfish views, and according to these alter, at 
every turning, his line of conduct. A man with 
a head such as Lejeune's will be a credit and an 
ornament in every profession. He will always 
be prudent, firm, and unremitting in his duties, 
and in doing good to others ; whilst one with 
such a head as Martin's, will be cunning and 



112 



persevering in acts agreeable to his animal pro- 
pensities alone. 

Lejeune displayed great abilities, and the no- 
blest feelings, from his earliest age. He destined 
himself to the task of propagating Christianity 
among the savages of Canada, in North America. 
No fatigues, no privations, no interruptions, could 
turn him from his resolution of doing good to his 
fellow-creatures. During seventeen years he 
lived among the savages, exposed to hardships 
of every description. The long winter season he 
spent in their miserable huts, continually filled 
with wood-smoke, which had no other outlet than 
the door, and so low that he could not stand 
upright in them, and was therefore obliged to sit 
or lie upon the ground, in company with the 
filthy inhabitants and their dogs. His most disa- 
greeable sensations resulted from the filthiness 
of the people ; and his greatest annoyance from 
the cunning behavior of a sorcerer, who de- 
ceived the poor natives in the most shocking 
manner, and was nevertheless adored by them. 
The religious piety of Lejeune never abated, and 
he constantly blessed God for every thing that 
happened. 

But the conduct of this good man was not only 
moral and religious, it was also marked by great 
prudence and understanding. He lived with the 
savages ; went out to hunt with them ; and took 
the greatest pains to learn their language, though 



113 



he found it very difficult. He was sometimes 
obliged to repeat the same word twenty times 
before he could seize its pronunciation and mean- 
ing ; yet he succeeded by degrees in reducing 
their language to rules ; he formed declensions 
of the nouns, conjugations of the verbs, and com- 
posed a syntax and a dictionary. He attached 
himself especially to the children ; became their 
schoolmaster, and composed a catechism in their 
mother tongue. 

Every phrenologist must dwell with pleasure 
over the contemplation of such a head as that of 
the good Lejeune, and inwardly pray that every 
one destined to teach the sublime truths of Chris- 
tianity, were endowed with a similar noble config- 
uration of brain. 



15 



in 

CHAPTER III. 

Portraits of Independent Characters. 

When speaking of the new method of examining 
the physiognomical signs of the head, I said that 
the posterior portion of the sincipital region 
maintains the activity of, or gives perseverance 
to, the other faculties. This region of the head, 
particularly that part of it in which the organs of 
firmness and self-esteem are situated, is strongly 
marked in those who are conspicuous for their 
love of independence. This feeling is strength- 
ened by courage, and ennobled by justice. There 
are individuals who shew great reluctance to 
obey, but who are prone and eager to command ; 
they possess much self-esteem and firmness, with 
little benevolence, veneration, and justice. Such 
men are furthermore overbearing, and fond of 
privileges, in proportion as their animal or selfish 
propensities predominate. Individuals, on the 
contrary, who possess great firmness and self- 
esteem, along with the whole sincipital region in 
large, and the basilar in small proportion, will 
contend for the sacredness of personal liberty, 
and free principles of government, for equality 
of rights, and submission by all to the same laws 
as necessary to the happiness of the community 
at large. 



PI ITT. 




V\ M 



kV w 



JV#. 7 



C 




Fia %■ 



.BFZ'del- 



Puh. by 'Mar.-h Capm, KlA/on 



Awiin, Smith Ac' Co.w Zifh V 



115 

PLATE XXV. 

Fig. 1. — William of Nassau, Prince of Orange, 
founder of the Dutch Republic. 

The forehead in this portrait is broad and high ; 
hence the organs of the perceptive and reflective 
faculties, individuality and language in particular, 
are large. The sincipital region, from benevo- 
lence backwards, rises higher and higher, to firm- 
ness. The lateral regions are considerable, but 
still subordinate to the superior parts of the brain. 
Upon a man thus constituted every reliance may 
be placed ; such an individual is worthy of being 
intrusted with the supreme authority. 

William was born in 1533, at the castle of Dil- 
lenburg, in Germany. His parents were Luther- 
ans, but he, living at the court of the emperor 
Charles V., conformed to the Roman Catholic 
form of worship, and became a great favorite of 
the emperor, who consulted him in the most deli- 
cate affairs. Having ample possessions til the 
low countries, William was made governor of the 
provinces of Holland, Zeeland, and Utrecht. 
Charles sent him with the imperial crown to his 
son Ferdinand, and when abdicating, appeared 
before the public supported on his arm. Charles 
also recommended him warmly to his son Philip. 

William, however, soon perceived that Philip 
II. did not entertain the same sentiments towards 
him which he had experienced from his father. 



116 

It is true William opposed, by every means in his 
power, the arbitrary proceedings of the Spanish 
court, and the severities practised against the peo- 
ple of the low countries on account of their re- 
ligion ; he even advised the states to petition for 
redress, and communicated all the indignation he 
felt at the policy of Spain to the Flemish nobility. 

Though a professor of the catholic religion, the 
prince of Orange was the open enemy of bigotry ; 
he declared against tumultuous proceedings of 
every description, and strove to prevent extremi- 
ties. In the councils of Philip, however, a reso- 
lution was taken to quell all resistance by direct 
force, and the duke of Alba was fixed upon as the 
fittest person to carry sanguinary measures into 
execution. 

William, aware that his moderation made him 
an object of suspicion, and satisfied that no effec- 
tual opposition could be made to the plan of vio- 
lence now adopted, threw up all his employments, 
and retired, with his family, to his brother at Nas- 
sau, having first publicly declared that it was his 
intention to remain quiet, unless he were treated 
as an enemy. 

He was soon cited to appear and answer to 
charges of sedition and treason, which were pre- 
ferred against him. On his non-appearance, his 
estates were confiscated, his eldest son, who was 
studying at Louvain, was carried off to Spain, and 
he himself condemned to death. He now applied 



117 



to several German princes for assistance, and at 
length levied an army, with which it was his 
intention to penetrate into Brabant ; but Alba 
defeating his brother, obliged him to disband his 
troops, and return to Germany. William was not 
shaken in his purpose by this defeat : he brought 
together a new army, and went himself to Bra- 
bant ; but the towns were awed by the cruelties 
of Alba, and shut their gates upon him, so that 
he had to retire across the Rhine, without hav- 
ing come to an action. By these exertions his 
resources were now exhausted, and he could 
maintain no more than twelve hundred horse, 
with which he joined the duke of Deuxponts, in 
the cause of the young king of Navarre. But the 
protestants were defeated in Poitou, and William 
had to effect his escape in the disguise of a peas- 
ant. He assembled a third army, and again 
entered Brabant. This time he was received as 
a deliverer, and gained several advantages over 
the Spaniards, but for want of money was again 
obliged to disband his soldiers. Soon after, 
however, his perseverance was rewarded. Seve- 
ral towns in Zeeland and Holland revolted ; the 
nobles and deputies from the principal towns in 
Holland formed themselves into an independent 
state, and nominated William their chief. Forces 
for sea and land service were levied, a regular 
revenue was raised, the Roman Catholic worship 
abolished, and a protestant church, upon the 



118 



plan of that of Geneva, established in its stead. 
After the greatest exertions, William succeeded in 
carrying the important measure of a general union 
among the provinces of the low countries for their 
mutual defence. 

The infamous designs against the life of Wil- 
liam, which were never intermitted from the time 
of his proscription, were at last successful. One 
Balthazar Gerard, a native of Tranche Comte, 
shot him, at the age of fifty-one, at Delft. He 
was lamented by the whole people ; they regarded 
him as their protector and sole support. It is 
said that his arrival in any town was commonly 
announced in these familiar and endearing terms : 
' Father William is come ! ' 

The character of William is depicted as uniting 
magnanimity, secrecy, prudence, equanimity, in 
all situations, singular penetration and sagacity, 
popular eloquence, a retentive memory, and the 
art of conciliating men's affections. His cerebral 
organization explains his various endowments. 
The brain was large, generally; all the upper 
region, and particularly firmness, in great propor- 
tion. The portrait, from which the one I have 
given here is copied, is inscribed with the motto, 
Je maintiendrai (I shall maintain). Cautiousness, 
secretiveness, and reflection acted as prudence 
and sagacity, and William's nobler sentiments 
produced magnanimity. Such a leader will 
always render justice to whom it is due. William 



119 



was charged by Philip with ingratitude, disloy- 
alty, and other crimes, in the grossest terms ; but 
his intentions seem always to have been pure and 
patriotic. If his memory has been reviled by the 
advocates of despotism, it has received and de- 
serves the highest honors from a people, who 
gratefully acknowledge him as the principal author 
of their freedom and independence. 

Fig. 2. — Ramus, (Peter Ramee.) 

This head is extremely elevated at firmness 
and self-esteem ; the occipital region is full, the 
organ of courage particularly marked, and the 
forehead is prominent, — language and individual- 
ity remarkably so. It is the brain of a thinking 
and determinate character. The constitution, or 
temperament, moreover, is one of great activity. 

Ramus was born at a village in Picardy. His 
grandfather was a nobleman of Liege, who lost 
all his property by the ravages of war, and with- 
drew to France, w r here he was reduced to gain 
his livelihood by making and selling charcoal, and 
his father followed husbandry for his support. 
Ramus at a very early period of his life showed a 
fondness for learning, and went at different times, 
from the age of only eight years, to seek instruc- 
tion at Paris. But he was on every occasion 
speedily compelled to depart by poverty, and the 
adverse circumstances of the times. His passion 



120 



for study, however, induced him to return once 
more, when he was received in the capacity of a 
servant into the college of Navarre. 

In this situation, after spending the day in at- 
tendance upon his master, he devoted the great- 
est part of the night to study, and by his own in- 
dustry made considerable progress in learning. 
His talents and perseverance at last procured him 
a more honorable station in the college, and he 
spent three years and a half going through a 
course of philosophy. During this time, having 
become acquainted with the Aristotelian logic, and 
discovered its defects, he came to the bold resolu- 
tion of attacking it in the schools, and of substi- 
tuting in its stead a better system. Accordingly, 
upon the occasion of standing candidate for the 
degree of Master of Arts, he held a public dispu- 
tation against the authority of Aristotle, and main- 
tained his theses with such ingenuity and ability, 
as astonished and confounded his examiners. 
From this time Ramus determined to overturn the 
old logic. He lectured on philosophy and elo- 
quence, and published a book, entitled, Aristotelicce 
Animadversiones, containing a very vehement at- 
tack upon Aristotle. 

This attack upon a system which had been uni- 
versally admired for ages, gave great offence, as 
was to be expected, to the followers of Aristotle, 
and raised a violent storm of resentment against 
Ramus, particularly among the professors of the 



121 

University of Paris. At first they made use of no 
other weapons in their contests with him than 
those of logic and eloquence, but they soon pro- 
ceeded to adopt harsher measures: they loudly 
accused him, before the civil magistrate, of a 
design, by opposing Aristotle, to sap the founda- 
tions of religion and learning. So great was 
their clamor, that the Parliament of Paris took 
cognizance of the business ; but when the Aris- 
totelians perceived that the cause was likely to 
meet with an impartial hearing and equitable 
decision from that tribunal, they, by their in- 
trigues, got it removed from the parliament to 
the king's council. A public disputation took 
place ; it lasted two days : Ramus complained 
of the unfair proceeding of his enemies, but the 
result was, that the king, prepossessed against 
him by the calumnies of his enemies, decreed, 
that Ramus's books should be suppressed, and 
himself prohibited, for the future, from writing 
or reading any logical or philosophical lectures, 
without express permission first obtained. His 
enemies published the sentence in Latin and 
French, in all the streets of Paris, and sent it to 
all parts of Europe. They even held him up to 
ridicule upon the stage. 

This disgrace of Ramus, however, was but of 
short duration ; he soon lectured again, and at- 
tracted a crowd of auditors. The faculty of the 
Sorbonne attempted to expel him, but he was 
16 



122 

maintained by an edict of the parliament. After 
this he met with a generous and powerful patron 
in the cardinal of Lorraine, who, by his interest 
with the king, Henry II., obtained the repeal of 
the decree of Francis L, and thus secured to our 
author perfect freedom of writing and speaking 
upon philosophical subjects. By means of the 
same patron, Ramus was appointed regius profes- 
sor of eloquence and philosophy. 

His enemies, however, never desisted, and con- 
trived to excite prejudices against him, as a con- 
vert to the doctrine of the Reformation. He was 
obliged to conceal himself at Fontainbleau, under 
the protecting arm of the king. When his ene- 
mies discovered the place of his retreat, they 
compelled him to seek safety in greater obscu- 
rity. The peace concluded between Charles IX. 
and the protestants, enabled him to return to 
Paris, and to resume his station in the college, as 
well as his professorship. 

He continued his lectures with unabated activ- 
ity and increasing reputation, till the second civil 
war drove him once more from Paris, and forced 
him to fly for shelter to the Protestant army, 
when he was present at the battle of St. Denis. 
The peace restored him to his occupations, but 
foreseeing that he would be able to maintain 
himself for but a short time, he asked and obtain- 
ed permission from the king to visit the universi- 
ties of Germany. Wherever he came much 



123 



respect was shewn him, and many honors con- 
ferred upon him. At Heidelberg he read a 
course of lectures. He was anxious to obtain 
a professorship at Geneva, but he did not suc- 
ceed. It is recorded, that while striving in vain 
to fix himself among his protestant brethren, 
he refused several liberal offers, made to him by 
catholics. He now resolved to return to his 
native country. At the commencement of the 
massacre of St. Bartholomew, he took refuge in 
a cellar, where he lay concealed during two days. 
An infamous rival, Charpentaire, a professor of 
mathematics, who had been eclipsed by the supe- 
rior talents of Ramus, at length discovered him, 
dragged him from his place of concealment, and 
directed his hired assassins to despatch their 
victim. The scholars of Charpentaire dragged 
the body ignominiously along the streets, and 
threw it into the Seine. 

Ramus was a man of universal learning, and an 
accomplished orator ; this was from the large size 
of the organs of language, and the perceptive 
powers in general. He was endowed with emi- 
nent moral qualities ; and the head of Ramus is 
very elevated. He, on every occasion where it 
could avail, shewed great firmness and resolution 
of mind ; and the organs of firmness and courage 
appear to be very large. His temperance and 
disinterestedness were exemplary : his brain is 
comparatively of small size laterally. With great 



124 



boldness and constancy, he asserted the natural 
freedom of the human understanding. He was 
more successful in undermining the authority 
which Aristotle had so long possessed in the 
schools, than in his attempt to raise a new system 
of logic and metaphysics. His fame as a philoso- 
pher vanished before that of Des Cartes. He was 
strongly attached to his country, and his inhabi- 
tiveness is very large. He was never shaken by 
disgrace or misfortune. 



PLATE XXVI. 

Fig. 1. — Stubbs. 

In this portrait the organs of benevolence and 
firmness are particularly elevated ; that of venera- 
tion is lower; those of the perceptive faculties 
are prominent. It is the brain of a humane and 
benevolent, but sturdy and independent character* 
In a man thus endowed, the religious are weaker 
than the moral feelings. Stubbs excelled as a 
painter of animals ; but I give this figure as an 
illustration of character, and not as calculated to 
show the organs necessary to the arts of imita- 
tion. To this end, front views of portraits are 
necessary. The second part of this work, on 
Talents* will contain figures for that purpose, 

* This part has never been published. 



ri ixvi 




JKa.l. 



$*,.■.-■-& 




Fie?. 2. 



An nzrt Sin i th <L t a's 1. iih V 



125 



whilst this part only presents cerebral configura- 
tions that accompany or indicate a variety of 
characters. 

Fig. 2. — Gustavus de Schlabrcndorf. 

This portrait is copied from a bust in plaster of 
Paris, taken after death. The greater portion of 
the brain is in the anterior and sincipital, or up- 
per regions ; the intellectual organs are but of 
moderate size, and not large enough in proportion 
to those of the feelings. Individuality, eventual- 
ity, locality, language, and comparison, are the 
fullest of the intellectual organs ; causality is 
middling. Among the feelings, those of self- 
esteem and firmness are extremely large ; then 
come benevolence, veneration, conscientiousness, 
hope, and cautiousness. Among those of the re- 
ligious sentiments, that of marvellousness is the 
smallest. In the basilar region, the organs of 
acquisitiveness, secretiveness, destructiveness, and 
philoprogenitiveness are the most largely devel- 
oped ; courage, attachment, and amativeness the 
most scantily so. 

De Schlabrendorf was the eldest son of an emi- 
nent family in Prussia ; he received an excellent 
education, and from the earliest age indulged in 
liberal and independent ideas. He admired the 
principles of the stoical philosophy, and openly 
approved of the French revolution. This brought 



126 



down the displeasure of the Prussian government 
upon him, and he lost his estates by confiscation ; 
but he bore his bad fortune manfully for several 
years. He, like many others, was soon put out 
of conceit with his sublime conceptions of the 
dignity of human nature ; at least he abandoned 
them as applicable to the then living generation. 
Though his landed property in Silesia was re- 
stored to him at a later period, he continued to 
live with the greatest parsimony. He confined 
himself to the most simple lodging on the second 
floor, in the Rue Richelieu, near the Palais Roy- 
ale at Paris. The same chamber was his library, 
sitting, dining, and bed-room. He wore neither 
small-clothes nor shirt ; a morning-gown, a pair 
of old slippers, sometimes stockings and a neck- 
cloth, composed his whole attire. He never 
shaved, kept no servant, but had his bed made by 
the porter of the house, and his dinner brought 
from the restaurateur's. At the same time he 
was very benevolent and charitable, encouraged 
young artists, and contributed largely to many 
institutions of common utility. No one who was 
poor ever asked him for assistance in vain ; and 
though frequently deceived, he never ceased to 
be benevolent and useful. In this way he lived 
for more than ten years, a hermit in the most 
populous part of Paris. 

Were I called on to give an opinion, as a phre- 
nologist, of this singular man, I should say that, 



127 



from the nature of his intellectual development, 
he is fond of learning facts and historical events, 
and of travelling ; that his judgment will not 
always be sound with respect to the causes of 
events ; that he is overwhelmed by his feelings, 
particularly self-esteem and firmness. In any 
good cause, too, he will be apt to flatter himself 
with success, and, if disappointed, will suffer a 
great deal, though he will struggle resolutely 
against every appearance of chagrin. His secre- 
tiveness being large, he will be pleased with con- 
cealing his intentions and thoughts. Family con- 
siderations will be nothing to him, his love of in- 
dependence predominates ; but his benevolence, 
veneration, and justice will prevent him from 
injuring any one ; and these feelings, in union 
with little courage, will rather make him bear 
with injustice than meditate revenge. As he is 
rich, it were difficult to say what direction his 
considerable acquisitiveness will take ; probably it 
would induce him to make collections calculated 
to gratify some of his most active powers. Its 
activity being combated by various sentiments of 
a superior order, even by self-esteem, is never to 
be apprehended. I conceive his singular manner 
of living may be explained in the following way : — 
He was confined to prison for many months dur- 
ing the French revolution, and was obliged to 
subsist upon five sols a day. At the same time 
his property was confiscated on account of his lib- 



128 



era] and independent principles. This circum- 
stance must certainly have offended his pride, his 
notions of independence, and all his favorite phi- 
losophical ideas. He knew, too, that his govern- 
ment would have imprisoned him in some fortress, 
had they been able to get him into their power. 
Now such a character as Schlabrendorf could 
without difficulty resolve upon leading a life of 
solitude, and once accustomed to it, would feel 
inclined to continue the habit, even after poverty 
and adverse circumstances generally made it no 
longer necessary. I had opportunities of know- 
ing that he had formed vast plans of establish- 
ments for the public convenience. He therefore 
felt greater enjoyment in contemplating future 
results to be produced by his influence, than in 
spending his money on his peculiar comforts. 
On the whole, 1 think his firmness and self-esteem 
were the mainsprings of all his actions. 



129 



CHAPTER IV. 

Portraits of haughty, ambitious, vain, and touchy, 
or easily-offended Characters. 

Portrait-painters and sculptors, not aware of 
the influence which the cerebral organization ex- 
erts on the mental manifestions, have hitherto, for 
the most part, been satisfied with an imitation of 
the face and forehead alone, neglecting the rest 
of the head altogether. Painters commonly pre- 
fer front, or three-quarter face views ; but then 
many of the organs of the affective powers, which 
form very essential elements in individual charac- 
ters, cannot be seen distinctly. I hope that in 
future artists will supply a greater number of 
phrenological proofs than they have yet done. 
Painters, however, have occasionally made por- 
traits in profile, and, with a few sculptors, have 
taken great care in imitating the natural form 
and relative size of the various parts of the 
head. Now among these productions the phre- 
nologist will find specimens that harmonize with 
the principles of his science. The fashion which 
prevailed during the reign of Louis XIV. of cov- 
ering the head with enormous wigs, is greatly to 
17 



130 



be regretted, for in all the eminent men of that 
period, the organs in the forehead only are visible, 
and their character in regard to understanding 
alone can be judged of phrenologically. Charac- 
ters of the description mentioned in the title of 
this chapter are of very frequent occurrence in 
the world, and a few examples will enable my 
readers to understand the cerebral configuration 
which indicates them. 






PLATE XXVII. 

Fig. 2. — Philip 11. of Spain. 

The posterior and upper part of the head of 
Philip II. appears much elongated backwards ; 
hence the organs of self-esteem and approbation 
are very great. Cautiousness, firmness, ideality, 
and particularly marvellousness, are also large, 
whilst benevolence and veneration are of minor 
magnitude. The organs of the intellectual pow- 
ers are of middling size, but they bear no kind of 
proportion to those of many of the feelings, by 
which they will, therefore, be corrupted and 
swayed. A man thus constituted will always be 
guided by his feelings ; he will be remarkable for 
his haughtiness and reserve, be very apt to be led 
astray by religious fanaticism, and easily be made 
the instrument of an ambitious, selfish, and cruel 
but crafty priesthood. 



PI XZVIl 




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HKNldel. 

Puh hy Marsh,, Cctpen, ACXyo 



Ma 3 



Arctun ,Sr>Tilh iCO"*!* /. ttfl.V 



131 



Philip II. son of the Emperor Charles V. was 
naturally of a reserved and apparently cold dis- 
position. His cautiousness, self-esteem, and firm- 
ness, account for this temper. Charles going to 
Germany, committed to his son, then in his six- 
teenth year, the administration of affairs in Spain. 
Several years later the father was desirous of 
having him near his person, and Philip met 
the emperor at Brussels, when he visited many 
of the towns of the low countries, in all of which 
he was received with extraordinary rejoicings ; 
but in the midst of these loyal festivities he dis- 
played a severity of disposition, and an exclusive 
attachment to, his Spanish attendants, which in- 
spired his Flemish subjects with a permanent 
dislike. In 1550 he appeared with his father at 
the diet of Augsburg, the emperor having at 
heart his son's succession to the imperial dignity; 
but Philip's whole demeanor was extremely offen- 
sive to the Germans, and he was sent back to 
Spain. 

After Charles's resignation, Philip rose at once 
from his subordinate station to that of the most 
powerful prince in Europe. The most memora- 
ble events of his reign are the commotions in the 
low countries. Without any natural attachment 
to this part of his empire, and equally despotic 
in his temper and bigoted in his principles, 
he was determined to use no other means for 
silencing the public discontent than those of 



132 



authority. For the suppression of the Reforma- 
tion, he established a court of inquisition on 
the model of that of Spain, and retained a 
body of foreign troops in the country to over- 
power opposition, notwithstanding the remon- 
strances of the states, who saw that the subver- 
sion of their liberties was the aim of his policy. 
He pointedly refused to mitigate the severity of 
the inquisition, protesting that ' he would rather 
be without subjects than be a king of heretics. 5 
He never showed the slightest sign of compunc- 
tion for the evils which his unfeeling bigotry 
occasioned ; the severest measures indeed, had, 
on all occasions, his warmest approbation. His 
gloom and reckless severity were increased by a 
tragical incident in his family. His eldest son, 
equally ambitious with himself, and of an unruly 
and violent temper, grew so much disgusted, 
that he engaged with the disaffected, and formed 
the design of leaving Spain. Philip ordered the 
execution of his own son. 

Philip by his blind zeal for the catholic re- 
ligion, and his unfeeling spirit of domination, 
everywhere excited civil commotions, caused an 
insurrection in Ireland, fitted out an armament to 
conquer England, or at least to dethrone the 
queen and restore popery, and countenanced 
and aided the famous league in France. His 
boundless ambition and bigoted prejudices ren- 
dered his whole reign but a succession of wars 



133 



and civil broils, and dissipated the immense re- 
sources which he possessed, without effecting any 
of the great objects at which he aimed. He 
never commanded his troops himself; he was 
only once in the neighborhood of a battle gained 
by his general, Emmanuel of Savoy, and then 
during the time of the engagement he was on his 
knees in a chapel between two monks, praying 
and vowing never to be guilty of approaching the 
battle field. To make up for this, however, the 
Duke of Alba, his governor of the low countries, 
could boast of having, during the short period of 
five years, sacrificed eighteen thousand individ- 
uals by the hands of the public executioner. 
This very duke who had rendered him the great- 
est services, having, on one occasion, entered the 
king's cabinet without previous announcement, 
was told by Philip himself, that such boldness 
deserved the axe. Philip is also reported to have 
said that he would deliver his own son to the 
inquisition were he to be suspected of heretical 
principles. Phrenology can alone account for 
such selfishness, cowardliness, and haughtiness, 
combined with such a sanguinary and bigoted 
disposition. His cautiousness was considerable, 
his courage small, and his destructiveness acted 
in combination with his religious feelings, self- 
esteem, and firmness. 

The engraving from which my figure is taken, 
is after an original painting by Titian. 



134 



Fig. 2. — Catherine 11. of Russia. 

This portrait gives the idea of an unusually 
large head, and the forehead of a man rather 
than of a woman. f lhe occipital and basilar re- 
gions are strongly marked, and it is not likely, 
therefore, that the inferior feelings will always be 
kept in control by the superior sentiments. The 
organs of self-esteem and love of notoriety are 
particularly large, and will form a very principal 
feature in the character. The head is high at the 
upper front part, in the region of benevolence ; 
hence cruelty, whatever other actions of an ani- 
mal nature be indulged in, will never afford any 
delight. 

This illustrious sovereign was the daughter of 
the petty German prince of iVnhalt Zerbst. She 
was invited by the empress Elizabeth to the 
Russian court, with the view of promoting an 
union between her and her nephew, the grand- 
duke, afterwards the emperor Peter III. Cathe- 
rine's love of sway and passion for glory seem to 
have been the dominant principles in her consti- 
tution. To gratify the first she made no scruple 
of breaking down all the barriers of common mo- 
rality which stood in her way. In pursuit of the 
second, she aimed at every thing that could raise 
her character in the eyes of the world. No 
prince ever surpassed her in the endowment of 
noble and useful institutions, or the patronage of 



135 



science and letters, and the promotion of the arts. 
She had great confidence in her abilities, and was 
perhaps too apt to follow splendid novelty, and 
to seek for expensive rarities. She reformed the 
administration of justice, encouraged industry, 
commerce, and instruction, increased the strength 
and wealth of the empire, and concealed her pri- 
vate crimes, and the evils of her bloody wars, by 
superior talents, by the glory of foreign aggran- 
dizement, and by the blessings of internal civiliza- 
tion. In this way she obtained the general love 
and reverence of her subjects. She was gifted 
with uncommon abilities, and wrote and con- 
versed with ease and dignity. She was kind and 
humane to those about her, and possessed great 
equanimity and command of temper. It is said 
that an air of haughtiness was the more perma- 
nent expression of her countenance, which, how- 
ever, was frequently tempered by grace and affa- 
bility. Her mode of living was temperate and 
regular. One pleasure, sensuality, alone she in- 
dulged in without restraint, and in pursuit of it 
she made all the decorum of sex openly give way 
to the license of sovereign power. The nature of 
her attachments, however, for the most part, pre- 
vented favorites from gaining any influence in the 
serious affairs of government. Her intellect was 
too strong to be corrupted, her love of dominion 
too powerful ever to endure the superiority of 
ministers and favorites. 



136 



Her character and talents, in general, were 
those of a man, and her cerebral organization was 
in harmony. 



PLATE XXVIII. 

Fig. 1. — Lalande, the Astronomer. 

Joseph Jerome Lalande was born at Bourg, in 
the department of the Aine. His father intended 
him for the bar, and sent him to Paris to study 
law. But his natural talent for astronomy frus- 
trated the views of his parents ; and this taste 
once awakened, became his principal occupa- 
tion throughout life. When engaged in the law, 
he at the same time attended the lectures on 
astronomy at the college of France, and was 
the only auditor of the course. He requested 
and obtained the permission of the professor Le- 
monnier, to assist him in his observations. He 
soon gave up the law entirely, and laid himself 
out to profit by the lessons of his instructer, who, 
on his side, conceived a parental affection for a 
pupil who gave such promise of future eminence. 
Shortly after this, the celebrated La Caille was 
preparing to set out for the Cape of Good Hope, 
in order to determine the parallax of the moon, 
and the distance of that planet from the earth. 
To accomplish this object, it was necessary that 



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137 



the same observations should be made bv another 
observer, placed under the same meridian, and at 
the greatest distance that could be conveniently 
chosen ; and Berlin being thought the most proper 
station, the French Academy determined that an 
astronomer should be sent to that city. Lalande, 
though scarcely nineteen years of age, was the 
person fixed upon for this purpose. The account 
which he gave of his mission, on his return, pro- 
cured him a place in the Academy of Sciences, 
and he became a constant contributor to its Me- 
moirs. Almost every one of its volumes con- 
tained an essay from the pen of Monsieur La- 
lande. He repeated the same ideas frequently ; 
but he was exceedingly fond of attracting public 
notice, and of being mentioned in the news- 
papers. He said of himself, that he was an oil- 
cloth for blame, and a sponge for praise. He 
was particularly desirous of being considered a 
philosopher, and above prejudice. He was pas- 
sionately devoted to astronomy, a great promoter 
of that science, and certainly the most learned, 
though not the most profound and original, as- 
tronomer of France. His eccentricities of char- 
acter were great, and his vanity insatiable. His 
labors were not confined to astronomical subjects, 
but extended to various branches, of science. He 
was extravagant enough to publish a dictionary of 
Atheists, in which he registered not only many of 
the illustrious dead, but a great number of his 
18 



138 



contemporaries, and some of the principal digni- 
taries of the French empire. 

The organs of individuality, size, configuration, 
weight, number, and language, are very large ; 
those of ideality, approbation, and self-esteem, 
predominant. Finally, those of the religious feel- 
ings are small. Hence the talent, as well as the 
singular character of Lalande, are easily con- 
ceived upon phrenological principles. 

Fig. 2. — James Vaniere. 

The occipital region of this head is very much 
elongated, particularly in the direction of the 
organs of firmness, self-esteem, and love of ap- 
probation. The cerebral organization, indeed, is 
generally remarkable : the organs of language, 
individuality, locality, time, number, and ideality, 
are large, and the bodily constitution is very 
active. This portrait may serve as a model of 
what is called a touchy or susceptible character ; 
a frame of mind which principally depends on 
self-esteem, love of approbation, and ideality being 
active ; the disposition, however, is further in- 
creased by a large endowment of combativeness 
and firmness, with a smaller proportion of benevo- 
lence and justice. Men so constituted are much 
disposed to be dissatisfied with the world, and to 
be complaining continually of others. Such a 
combination, without love of approbation, pro- 



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139 



duces self-sufficiency, and utter indifference to 
the opinions of others ; but the addition of love 
of approbation produces the unhappy state of 
mind I have just mentioned. 

The character of J. J. Rousseau, which appears 
incomprehensible, is easily explained on the sup- 
position of a similar combination of powers. He 
certainly possessed the organs of ideality, self- 
esteem, love of approbation, and cautiousness, of 
a large, and those of courage and philoprogeni- 
tiveness of a small size. 

Vaniere was born in the diocese of Beziers, in 
Languedoc. He studied in the Jesuits' College, 
and entered into their society. He distinguished 
himself by his Latin poetry. He employed 
twenty years of his life on a dictionary of the 
Latin and French tongues, but did not finish it. 
The spirit of all Vaniere's lucubrations was of an 
intolerant cast ; this pervaded even his descrip- 
tions, composed amidst beautiful scenery, of the 
artless manners of a simple peasantry. 



PLATE XXIX. 

The influence of self-esteem and love of ap- 
probation being so extensive in social relations, 
it may be useful to mankind to know exactly the 
cerebral configuration which indicates great ac- 
tivity of these feelings. It is with this view that 



140 

i have given the six figures of this twenty-ninth 
plate. Fig. 1. is the portrait of a bishop; fig. 
2. of a minister of state ; fig. 3. of a general ; 
fig. 4. of a governor of a province ; fig. 5. of a 
deputy or member of parliament ; and fig. 6. of 
an author. 

A bishop with such a head will be fond of 
worldly distinctions, and labor for the superiority 
of the ecclesiastical order. He will possess great 
intellect, and may speak in eloquent terms of 
humility, but all his actions will indicate haughti- 
ness and vanity. A minister of state like fig. 2. 
will display a powerful mind ; but he will feel 
strongly inclined to command, and impose his 
own will as law upon the community : he will 
foster national pride, speak of glory, exhibit 
trophies, encourage the erection of monuments, 
and feel the disposition, at almost any price, to 
remain among the leaders or influential party in 
the government. A general whose brain resem- 
bles that of fig. 3. will live for badges of orders, 
for parade, and outward distinctions. He will 
serve every master who satisfies his love of glory, 
that is, who has titles to confer, and who affords 
him opportunities for display. The administrator 
of the province will be fond of showing his power ; 
he will be a ' little man dressed in brief author- 
ity;' be very eager after marks of honor, and 
show a large appetite for flattery. The dep- 
uty will be zealous in the cause of religion and 



141 



government, provided his ambition and selfish 
views are gratified. Finally, the author will 
faithfully serve that party which appeals most 
powerfully to his vanity and selfishness. Such 
beings, and their like, particularly if the head be 
wide, or laterally developed, and the organ of 
conscientiousness be small, will always sacrifice 
the duties of their station, whatever it be, to their 
vanity and personal interest. Supposing the re- 
ligious, political, military, and civil affairs of a 
state to be in the hands of individuals so consti- 
tuted, however vast their intellectual powers, 
strict justice and morality will be little attended 
to ; Christian humility will be disfigured, legisla- 
tion corrupted, and the equality before the law 
annihilated ; personal distinctions and preroga- 
tives will prevail, and all sorts of iniquities be 
supported by the force of arms, by false reports, 
and by wilful mistatements. The existence of 
the commonweal is incompatible with that of 
men in authority possessed of such brains. What 
a difference between these heads and those of 
Massillon, L' Hopital, Crillon, Franklin, Males- 
herbes, Jeannin, Walsingham, Oberlin, Lejeune, 
William of Nassau, and of all who subject their 
pride and ambition to the invariable laws of mo- 
rality ! Phrenologists, as more particular ob- 
servers of mankind, are fully aware of the in- 
fluence and of the cause of the energy of these 
two feelings, and cannot help considering them, 



142 



when very active, as among the most formidable 
enemies of general happiness, of true liberty, and 
of every institution that is calculated to raise 
mankind in the scale of true worth and excel- 
lence. 



143 



CHAPTER V. 

Of gay and gloomy Characters. 

Mirthfulness, hope, and imitation, are faculties 
essential in the constitution of the merry, witty, 
or gay character ; frequently, however, tune, in- 
dividuality, eventuality, approbativeness, and se- 
cretiveness, also enter into its composition, and 
heighten it ; on the other hand, great cautious- 
ness, firmness, self-esteem, justice, and powers of 
reflection, with little mirthfulness, hope, and imi- 
tation, produce the gloomy or melancholic turn 
of mind. The gay and the gloomy character are 
alike exalted by ideality. Those who unite the 
feelings which constitute the merry, as well as 
those which compose the gloomy character, are 
subject to alternate fits of despondency, and of 
exuberant mirth. Mirthfulness, without benevo- 
lence and veneration, is the parent of satire, the 
disposition to indulge in which is increased by 
combativeness, destructiveness, self-esteem, and 
firmness. Mirthfulness, combined with secretive- 
ness and imitation, is fond of playing tricks. In 
union with constructiveness, configuration, size, 
and imitation, it produces caricature. 



144 

PLATE XXX. 

Fig. 1 — Piron. 

This portrait indicates great development of 
the organs of mirthfulness, ideality, the intellec- 
tual powers, and a lymphatic-sanguineous con- 
stitution. Individuality, size, form, calculation, 
language, and the reflective faculties, are strongly 
marked. The rest of the head is so much con- 
cealed by the wig, that the organs of the feelings 
can scarcely be guessed at. Piron was the son 
of an apothecary at Dijon, and born in 1689. 
The first twenty-five years of his life he spent in 
obscurity, and amid vulgar enjoyments. The 
odium excited by a licentious ode, of which he 
was the author, obliged him to quit his native 
town, and he went to Paris, where he for some 
years supported himself as a copying clerk. His 
earliest literary efforts were of a dramatic nature, 
and written for the Comic Opera House. His 
success was at first moderate. But at length, in 
1739, having presented the public with his com- 
edy of La Metromanie, his name rose immediately 
into reputation. His society was then courted 
greatly, and he became famous for his repartees 
and bon mots, and particularly for his happy 
knack at writing epigrams. He was fond of 
making caustic remarks upon the French Acade- 
my, the members of which he used to call the 



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invalids of wit. He nevertheless made an attempt 
to gain admission into this society, and never did 
he forgive their negative. The epitaph he com- 
posed for himself, on the occasion, is well known : 

Ci-git Piron qui ne fut rien, 
Pas meme academiciem. 

His self-esteem was somewhat too great, but his 
conduct was never low nor wicked ; his domi- 
nant desire was to add to the amusement of his 
friends. 



Fig. 2. — Charles Antony Bertinazzi, 

Better known as Carlin, a famous comic actor. 
His father was an officer in the Piedmontese 
service ; and Carlin, at the age of fourteen, be- 
came an ensign. To provide the means of living 
a little better, he gave lessons in fencing and 
dancing, and also enacted comedies with his 
scholars. When at Bologna, it happened that a 
new piece was announced for performance, but 
that he who was to have played the harlequin 
had disappeared. Carlin offered to take the part, 
and actually performed it to the great satisfac- 
tion of the public. It was only at the fourth 
representation that he was discovered by his 
friends, who then advised him to take to the 
stage as a profession. He adopted their counsel, 
and went to Venice, and afterwards played in 
several towns of Italy. In 1771 he appeared at 
19 



146 



Paris upon the Italian stage, and continued to 
amuse the Parisians, as harlequin, during forty- 
two years. He was remarkable for his inventive 
powers on the stage, and for the brilliant flashes 
of wit which he displayed on the spur of the mo- 
ment. He once engaged to play singly, and in 
five acts to exhibit the twenty-six misfortunes of a 
harlequin : he succeeded completely in his under- 
taking, giving the greatest satisfaction to the 
house. Many of his witty sayings are still pre- 
served, and frequently repeated by the admirers 
of bon-mots. It is a pity that the greatest part 
of the head is covered with a cap : the broad 
forehead, however, and the great development of 
the organs of mirthfulness, ideality, imitation, se- 
cretiveness, configuration, and language, are dis- 
tinctly seen. The organs of benevolence and 
justice must also have been large ; for Carlin was 
good-tempered in the highest degree ; his sallies 
were never tinged with personal sarcasm, and his 
probity was above suspicion. 



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147 



CHAPTER VI. 

Portraits of bold and timid Characters. 

Characters of this description are particularly 
indicated by the relative development of combat- 
iveness and cautiousness ; the larger the former, 
in proportion to the latter, the bolder and more 
enterprising will be the disposition, and the con- 
trary. Courage, however, is greatly aided by 
destructiveness, self-esteem, firmness, and justice ; 
combined with sufficient cautiousness and reflec- 
tion, a prudent but decisive turn of mind is the 
result. 



PLATE XXXI. 

Two Skulls, seenjrom behind. 

Fig. 1. is the skull of a very timorous female, 
who, in spite of all her efforts, her own reason- 
ings, and the exhortations of her friends, could 
never overcome her coward temper. She always 
replied, that her sensations were stronger than 
reason. The organ of courage is very small ; that 
of cautiousness, on the contrary, is remarkably 
large. Firmness is in middling proportion, but 



148 



not great enough to counteract fear. Individuals 
with similar brains cannot endure disputation or 
quarrelling ; they desire, above all things, peace- 
ableness of temper, and only express hostility to 
violent proceedings. 

Fig. 2. is the skull of the Austrian General 
Wurmser, also seen from behind. The organ of 
courage is exceedingly large, that of cautiousness 
rather small. According to phrenological princi- 
ples, more personal courage than prudence may 
be expected from such a head. This, indeed, was 
the character of the general ; he never displayed 
eminent intellectual capacities, but he was re- 
markable for his merely animal intrepidity. 



PLATE XXXII. 

Fig. 1.— M. T. Cicero. 

This portrait is after an antique bust, which I 
am inclined to consider an exact imitation of na- 
ture. No artist, unless bent upon representing 
nature faithfully, would ever have given a configu- 
ration, such as the bust of Cicero presents, to his 
marble ; the external ear, and indeed the whole 
head, is larger on one side than on the other ; a 
circumstance which very frequently happens in 
nature. Again, the mental constitution indicated 
by the bust is altogether in conformity with the 



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149 



character and talents of Cicero. The organs of 
language, locality, comparison, causality, acquisi- 
tiveness, secretiveness, approbativeness, cautious- 
ness, attachment, philoprogenitiveness, benevo- 
lence, imitation, marvellousness, and conscien- 
tiousness are large, whilst those of courage and 
hope are small. 

Cicero, even in boyhood, showed uncommon 
abilities ; he excelled in everything to which he 
applied. Plutarch tells us, that his schoolfellows 
used to accompany him in a body to and from 
school, giving him the place of honor in the 
midst of them, and that many parents visited the 
school to be witnesses of his extraordinary profi- 
ciency. He was indefatigable in the exercises of 
reading, writing, and recitation. His inclination 
for the study of eloquence declared itself as soon 
as he quitted the juvenile ranks, and assumed the 
manly toga. His progress was so great, that he 
soon ventured to publish some remarks on rhetor- 
ical invention. The fear of Sylla now induced 
him to quit Rome for a season, and he went to 
Athens, pretending ill health as the motive of his 
journey. His ambition appears to have been con- 
siderably mortified by this check to his progress 
in the path of advancement. A retreat in the 
centre of Grecian learning could not but be pro- 
fitable to a man of Cicero's attainments and capa- 
city. Here he evinced a decided taste for philos- 
ophy ; he was the first of the Romans who exam- 



150 



ined the great questions on morality and philoso- 
phy, which had so long been familiar subjects of 
discussion in Greece. 

After the death of Sylla he returned to Rome, 
at the age of thirty years ; having, however, first 
made the tour of Asia, attended the principal 
rhetoricians of that country, and, to improve his 
action, taken lessons from the most eminent dra- 
matic performers. On arriving at Rome he at 
once became the head of the Roman bar. His 
first public employment was quaestor in Sicily ; 
and as administrator he acted with benevolence 
and justice. He gradually gained the affections 
of the Sicilians, who treated him with unusual 
honors, and considered him the patron and bene- 
factor of their island. 

He was the saviour of his country in the con- 
spiracy of Catiline ; and the noble use he made 
of his power, notwithstanding some unworthy 
compliances which he paid as its price, entitles 
him to the character of a good citizen. His con- 
duct in arriving at the consulate, however, has 
been excused by the corrupt state of the Roman 
constitution, which made it scarcely possible to 
act a distinguished part in public life without cer- 
tain sacrifices to party politics. 

Cicero was very careful of his health, and ap- 
portioned his hours of business, study, meals, and 
exercise with great regularity ; he was anxious to 
cultivate both the favor of the people and the 



151 



friendship of the great, and it cannot be denied 
but that to these objects he occasionally sacrificed 
the principles of true patriotism. 

He was naturally timid, and when the tribune 
Clodius, whom he had offended, proposed the 
law, enacting that whoever had been concerned 
in the death of a Roman citizen, before he had 
been condemned by the people, should be deemed 
guilty of treason against the state, he lost his 
presence of mind ; and when Clodius impeached 
him directly of having put Lentulus and others, 
concerned in Catiline's conspiracy, to death with- 
out legal trial, he spontaneously retired into ban- 
ishment. This happened in his forty- ninth year. 
Dejected, desponding, uncertain where to seek 
refuge, he wandered for awhile in the south of 
Italy, and at length embarking at Brundusium, 
crossed over to Greece. The marks of regard 
and esteem everywhere lavished on him proved 
no antidote to his affliction ; and Cicero, in his 
exile, afforded a signal proof how little the max- 
ims of philosophy avail in steeling the soul against 
adversity, unless aided by natural fortitude, by the 
innate capacity to endure calamity. 

Though his exile was the cause of the most 
glorious era in his life, his persecution had ren- 
dered him extremely cautious in his political con- 
duct. In the dissensions between Pompey and 
Caesar he fluctuated for some time, uncertain 
which of the two parties to espouse. He ap- 



152 



proved the cause of Pompey more, but he au- 
gured better of the success of Caesar. With the 
change of the constitution which now took place, 
Cicero's political career was at an end. He lived 
privately, and devoted himself almost entirely to 
the study of philosophy, and to the composition of 
various works. He ultimately became the victim 
of Antony, against whom he had declared himself 
in very strong terms. 

Cicero was mild, benevolent, inclined to virtue, 
and attached to the public welfare, excessively 
fond of praise, but devoid of that strength of mind 
which can alone carry a man, with uniform dig- 
nity and propriety, through the storms of public, 
or the vexations of private life. That is to say, 
he had not enough of courage, hope, firmness, and 
conscientiousness, in proportion to his love of ap- 
probation, acquisitiveness, secretiveness, and cau- 
tiousness. This mental constitution disposed him 
to make undue compliances, and occasionally 
even to desert the cause which he internally ap- 
proved. Still his great benevolence and superior 
sentiments led him as freely to admit the merits 
of others as he openly laid claim to those of which 
he deemed himself possessed. 

Cicero's intellectual faculties were of a high 
order. He had great acuteness of judgment, in 
other words, great reflective and perceptive 
powers : he also possessed uncommon powers of 
language ; he will always be considered as one of 



153 



the first of prose writers : he excelled particularly 
in forensic eloquence, and if he be inferior to De- 
mosthenes in energy, he is superior in variety, 
copiousness, and all the graces of embellishment. 
The matter of his philosophical works, it is true, 
is borrowed from the Grecian schools, but he has 
the merit of having introduced their learning to 
his countrymen in an agreeable form. He must, 
indeed, be ranked rather as the admirer and pro- 
moter of philosophy, than as one of its masters. 
Viewing his mind phrenologically, or according to 
the indication of the bust, Cicero may be said to 
have been possessed of powers calculated to raise 
him to eminence in practical life, or as adminis- 
trator, but incompatible with the character of a 
great statesman, through want of quickness and 
boldness in conception, and of perseverance in 
execution. 

Fig. 2. — The Gladiator, from the antique statue, in 
the Royal Museum at Paris. 

The size and form of this head are quite in 
conformity with the character of a bold, pugna- 
cious man. The principal mass of brain lies in 
the occipital region, and particularly behind the 
ears. The organs of the intellectual faculties and 
moral sentiments are small, whilst that of the pro- 
pensity to fight is unusually developed. Fighting 
will be the greatest delight of a being with such a 
20 



154 



brain. Soldiers similarly constituted will be val- 
iant, but by want of capacity to profit by instruc- 
tion, ought never to arrive at the rank of com- 
manders. Their valor should, therefore, be re- 
warded in some other way than by preferment — 
by an increase of pay, for instance, by some 
badge of distinction, medal, cross, title, or other 
invention, by which man's inferior inclinations 
have been flattered. 



PLATE XXXIII. 

Fig. 1. — Martin Luther. 

The whole forehead of this portrait is large, the 
organs of language, individuality, eventuality, 
tune, and of the reflective faculties, are partic- 
ularly prominent. There is also a great deal of 
brain at the basis of the head, above and behind 
the ears, and in the neck. The organ of firmness 
is likewise strongly indicated. A man with such 
a cerebral organization will be bold, enterprising, 
endowed with perseverance, and capable of de- 
fending his cause by reasoning. He may, how- 
ever, often feel inclined to go further than pru- 
dence allows. 

Luther was descended of parents in humble 
circumstances. He was the son of a smith at 
Eisleben, in Saxony, and born in the year 1483. 



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155 



He showed an early inclination for learning. 
He acquired the rudiments of grammar at home, 
and in his fourteenth year he went to Magdeburg, 
where he was reduced to the necessity of begging 
for his bread in order to live ; after a year he was 
sent to Eisenach, lived four years among the rela- 
tions of his mother, and distinguished himself by 
his diligence and proficiency. In the year 1501, 
he went to the university of Erfurt, and attended 
the courses of logic and philosophy, according to 
the scholastic methods then in vogue ; but his 
understanding, naturally sound and superior to 
everything frivolous, was soon disgusted with 
those subtle and uninstructive sciences. He was 
only twenty years of age when he himself began 
to read lectures on various branches of philosophy, 
and determined to become an Augustinian friar. 

In the convent he applied closely to the study 
of divinity, as laid down in the writings of the 
schoolmen ; but having accidentally met with a 
copy of a Latin bible in the library of the monas- 
tery, he neglected his other studies, and perused 
it with eagerness and assiduity. 

He soon became famous for his learning and 
for his knowledge of the scriptures, and was 
chosen by Frederic, elector of Saxony, to fill the 
chair of philosophy, and afterwards that of divin- 
ity, at the university of Wittenberg. He, at the 
same time, distinguished himself as a pulpit 
orator, and endeavored to controvert many crro- 



156 



neous notions, which had been received in the 
church and in the schools. The better to qualify 
himself for his profession, he now also commenced 
the study of the Greek and Hebrew languages. 

At this time the pope was in possession of the 
supreme temporal as well as spiritual power over 
emperors, kings, and nations. The scandal, in- 
deed, was now so great all over Europe, that the 
necessity of a religious reformation was generally 
felt. Luther spoke freely and with great success 
of the abuses practised by the holy see ; and when 
Leo X. to replenish his coffers, had recourse to 
the sale of indulgences, Luther determined openly 
to protest against such a scandalous imposition on 
his deluded countrymen. The novelty and bold- 
ness of his opinions excited great attention, and 
his popular and persuasive eloquence made a 
strong impression on the minds of his hearers. 

The violent measures adopted against him 
served but to call forth greater powers than he 
had yet displayed, an event which might have 
been foretold from his general character, incapa- 
ble of submitting tamely to any thing like haughty 
and arbitrary treatment. Though a simple monk, 
he treated the pope as his equal, and, protected 
by Frederic, burnt the bulls of his holiness, who 
had already delivered the reformer's writing to the 
flames. Though aware of the fate of Huss, who, 
under similar circumstances, and protected by an 
imperial safe conduct, had been sacrificed at Con- 



157 



stance, Luther insisted on going to Worms, 
against all the entreaties of his friends. * I am 
lawfully called,' said he, c to appear in that city, 
and thither will I go in the name of the Lord, 
though as many devils as there are tiles on the 
houses were there combined against me.' When 
required by the diet to renounce the opinions 
which he had hitherto held, he firmly and solemn- 
ly declared that he would neither abandon them, 
nor change his conduct, unless he were previously 
convinced by the word of God, or the dictates 
of right reason, that his sentiments were erro- 
neous. To this resolution he steadily adhered, 
notwithstanding the entreaties and threats which 
were employed to conquer his firmness of mind. 
He was permitted to depart in safety, but an 
excessively severe edict was published in the 
emperor's name, and by the authority of the diet, 
in which he was declared a member cut off from 
the church, a schismatic, a notorious and obsti- 
nate heretic, and deprived of all the privileges 
which he enjoyed as a subject of the empire. 
The severest punishments were denounced against 
those who should receive, entertain, or counte- 
nance him, either by acts of hospitality, by con- 
versation, or writing, and all were required to 
concur in seizing his person as soon as the term 
of his safe conduct expired. But Luther, on his 
return from Worms, was conveyed with the utmost 
secrecy to the castle of Wartburg, where he lived 



158 



in peace, the place of his retreat being carefully 
concealed. Here it was that he translated a 
great part of the New Testament into the German 
language. 

His active spirit, however, could not long en- 
dure retirement, and without the consent or even 
the knowledge of his patron and protector Fred- 
erick, he returned to Wittenberg, where he de- 
voted himself particularly to his translation of the 
scripture, which was read with avidity and pro- 
duced incredible effects. He even spoke, and 
wrote with more freedom than ever. He pub- 
lished on the abolition of bishoprics and bene- 
fices ; he also declared against the forced celi- 
bacy of the clergy. 

A diet, held at Spires, declared as unlawful 
every change which should be introduced into the 
doctrine and discipline or worship of the estab- 
lished religion, until agreed to by a general coun- 
cil. Several princes, who were friendly to the 
reformation, together with the deputies of four- 
teen imperial cities, when they found that all their 
arguments and remonstrances made no impres- 
sions, entered their solemn protest against this 
edict of Spires, and, on that account, were called 
protest ants. 

Another diet was assembled at Augsburg, 
charged with finding means by which the schism 
might be ended. The protestant princes em- 
ployed Melancthon as their deputy, who, with a 



159 



due regard to the opinions of Luther, expressed 
his sentiments and laid down his doctrine with 
the greatest perspicuity, and in terms as little 
offensive to the Roman Catholics as a regard for 
truth would permit. This declaration of the sen- 
timents of the reformers is known by the name of 
the Confession of Augsburg. 

Luther must be judged by his own conduct, 
and not by the tales either of his friends or his 
adversaries. His life showed him superior to 
selfish considerations, to honors, and church pre- 
ferments ; he was satisfied with his original pro- 
fessorship in the university and pastorate of the 
town of Wittenberg, offices to which very moder- 
ate stipends were annexed. He was vehement in 
all his operations, was very apt to break into im- 
petuosity, and to go to excess. Rash in assert- 
ing his opinions, and obstinate in adhering to 
them, he made no allowance for the timidity or 
the prejudices of others, pouring forth a torrent 
of invective against any one who ventured to op- 
pose him. Regardless of any distinction of rank, 
he chastised all adversaries indiscriminately with 
the same rough hand. His boldness, energy, 
firmness, and gift of language, were remarkable. 
All his actions were much more effects of his nat- 
ural temper than of the manners of the age in 
which he lived. This proposition will be made 
abundantly evident by contrasting his behavior 
with that of the man whose portrait follows. 



160 



Fig. 2. — Philip Melancthon, or Schwarzerde, from 
a portrait by Alb. Durer. 

The organization of this head differs widely 
from that of Luther. It is very narrow above and 
behind the ears, and the whole basilar region is 
very small ; almost the whole of the brain, indeed, 
lies in the forehead and sincipital regions, both of 
which are exceedingly large. It is the brain of 
an extraordinary man. The organs of the moral 
and religious feelings predominate greatly, and 
will disapprove of all violence, irreverence, and 
injustice. The forehead betokens a vast and 
comprehensive understanding. The ensemble a 
mind the noblest, the most amiable, and the most 
intellectual that can be conceived. If there be 
any thing to regret, it is that the organs of the an- 
imal powers should have been so small in compar- 
ison with those proper to man. Such a head 
may be called chosen ; its only cause of unhappi- 
ness is in contemplating the injustice of mankind, 
and its too eager wishes for their better condition. 

Melancthon was born at Bretten, in the Palati- 
nate, in 1495. He received the rudiments of edu- 
cation in his native place, went to the college of 
Pforzheim, and two years afterwards to Heidel- 
berg, where he made such rapid progress in liter- 
ature, that before he had completed his fourteenth 
year, he was intrusted with the tuition of the sons 



161 

of a noble family. He was still very young when 
Erasmus wrote of him : — < Good God, what hopes 
may we not entertain of Philip Melancthon, who, 
though as yet very young, and a boy, is equally to 
be admired for his knowledge in both languages ? 
What quickness of invention ! what purity of dic- 
tion ! what powers of memory ! what variety of 
reading ! what modesty and gracefulness of beha- 
vior !' 

From Heidelberg, Melancthon went to Tubin- 
gen, attended the different professors of classical 
and polite learning, the mathematics, philosophy, 
divinity, law, and even medicine, and before he 
had attained the age of seventeen, he was created 
doctor of philosophy. He likewise studied the 
sacred Scriptures diligently, and always carried a 
Bible about him. 

At the age of twenty-three he was appointed 
professor of the Greek language in the University 
of Wittenberg. His youth and personal appear- 
ance created unfavorable impressions, but his 
inaugural oration not only removed them, but 
even excited the highest applause and admira- 
tion. He soon contracted a close intimacy and 
friendship with Luther, and though he approved 
Luther's design of delivering theology from the 
darkness of scholastic jargon, his mildness of 
temper made him extremely averse to disputation 
of every description. He, however, rendered 
great services to the cause of reformation by his 
51 



im 



admirable abilities and his great moderation. He 
was even forced to sustain a conspicuous part in 
all the principal religious transactions and eccle- 
siastical regulations of that period. For the sake 
of peace and union, he was naturally inclined to 
yield, where essentials were not concerned, and 
always anxious to soften the acrimony of reli- 
gious controversy. It is said that his mother hav- 
ing asked him what she was to believe amidst the 
disputes which divided the world, he replied,, 
4 Continue to believe and pray as you have hith- 
erto done.' He was humane, gentle, and readily 
won upon by mild and generous treatment ; but 
when his adversaries made use of imperious and 
menacing language, he rose superior to his gen- 
eral meekness of disposition, and showed a spirit 
of ardor, independence, nay, of intrepidity, look- 
ing down with contempt upon the threats of 
power, and the prospect even of death. 

The fame of Melancthon, of his great learnings 
and of his extraordinary moderation and pru- 
dence, spread into foreign countries, and pro- 
cured him invitations from Henry VIII. of Eng- 
land, and Francis L of France, nearly at the same 
time ; but these he refused, and continued in 
Saxony. 

His constitution was delicate, but by observing 
the most rigid temperance, and by endeavoring 
to dismiss, when he lay down after an early sup- 
per, every thought from his mind that could dis- 



163 



turb his repose, his life was prolonged to a great 
age, and he was enabled to pursue his studies 
with an intenseness of application that is almost 
incredible. He always rose at midnight to his 
labors. 

Never was any man more civil and obliging, 
and more free from jealousy, dissimulation, and 
envy, than Melancthon ; he was humble, modest, 
disinterested in the extreme ; in a word, he pos- 
sessed wonderful talents, and most noble disposi- 
tions. His greatest enemies have been forced to 
acknowledge that the annals of antiquity exhibit 
very few worthies who may be compared with 
him, whether extent of knowledge in things 
human and divine, or quickness of comprehen- 
sion, and- fertility of genius, be regarded. The 
cause of true Christianity derived more signal ad- 
vantages, and more effectual support, from Me- 
lancthon, than it received from any of the other 
doctors of the age. His mildness and charity, 
perhaps, carried him too far at times, and led him 
occasionally to make concessions that might be 
styled imprudent. He was the sincere worship- 
per of truth, but he was diffident of himself, and 
sometimes timorous, without any sufficient reason. 
On the other hand, his fortitude in defending the 
right was great. His opinions were so univer- 
sally respected, that scarcely any one among the 
Lutheran doctors ventured to oppose them. He 
was inferior to Luther in courage and intrepidity, 



164 



but his equal in piety, and much his superior in 
learning, judgment, meekness, and humanity. 
He latterly grew tired of his life, and was particu- 
larly disgusted with the rage for religious contro- 
versies, which prevailed universally. 



PLATE XXXIV. 

Fig. 1. — Charles XII. King of Sweden. 

The head here is higher than it is broad, and is 
extremely large in the direction of hope, firmness, 
and self-esteem ; the lateral parts, which are the 
most prominent, lie immediately above the ears ; 
the organs of secretiveness and cautiousness are 
exceedingly small. The forehead is not more 
than middling, in proportion to the rest, and the 
perceptive organs, especially individuality, are 
larger than those of the reflective powers. This 
is the cerebral organization of an imprudent, 
proud, and stubborn character ; of a sanguine and 
careless schemer. The will of such a man ought 
to be subordinate to the laws of the country in 
which he lives; for if his own inclinations ever 
become the rule of conduct, the greatest misfor- 
tunes will certainly result to the community. 

Charles XII. from the earliest age, showed a 
decidedly martial disposition, great firmness of 
mind, carelessness of character, and obstinacy, 



pixzzir. 




Fig.. 






Fig. %. 




^F.N. del. 



I by McirsJi, c'/j'oen, dC'Xuo-n 



Anm^, SorvitfofiC Co.'s .Ltth 1 



165 



which was not to be overcome by force. When 
still a child, he was fond of the most violent 
bodily exercise, and bear-hunting became one of 
his principal amusements. Armed with a spear* 
he attacked his game with so little caution that 
his life was frequently in jeopardy. The love of 
glory soon declared itself as a principle and 
ruling passion of his mind. He resolved to be- 
come the Alexander of the north ; his talents, 
however, were insignificant, and he was then 
looked upon as a prince of but little promise. 

The potentates of three neighboring states, 
Denmark, Poland, and Russia, thinking to take 
advantage of his youth and inexperience, and to 
strip him of a part of his dominions, first aroused 
his ambitious, haughty, and enterprising spirit. 
When their designs became apparent, and the 
Swedish council was deliberating, in Charles's 
presence, on the measures proper to be pursued 
in such an emergency, the young king suddenly 
rose, and with a decided air, said — ' Gentlemen, 
I am determined never to engage in an unjust 
war, and never to end a just one but with the 
ruin of my enemy. It is my resolution to go, and 
to attack the first who shall declare himself, and 
when I have conquered him, I hope the rest will 
be intimidated.' He now gave up all kinds of 
amusement, enforced the strictest economy in his 
household, and seriously prepared himself to play 
the hero. He renounced female society forever, 



166 



and also made the resolution never again to taste 
wine. 

The king of Denmark was the first to com- 
mence hostilities ; Charles at once determined to 
march in person, and to attack Copenhagen. He, 
therefore, disembarked his troops a few miles 
from that capital, he, himself, sword in hand, 
leaping into the water the moment his boat 
touched the strand, followed by his guards and 
chief officers. Advancing amidst a shower of 
musket balls, he asked a general who stood by 
him, { what that whistling was, which sounded so 
strangely in his ears.' — ' It is the noise of the 
bullets shot at your majesty,' replied the general. 
' This then,' said the king, l shall heneforth be 
my music' The Danish entrenchments were 
soon forced, and the king approached Copenha- 
gen without further opposition. The Swedish 
army, lying before the capital of Denmark, was 
kept in the strictest discipline, and all the pro- 
visions with which it was supplied were paid for 
with perfect good faith. Prayers were said regu- 
larly twice a day in the camp, at which Charles 
always attended devoutly. The king of Den- 
mark, seeing the Swedes in the heart of his 
dominions, and his capital in imminent danger, 
was glad to listen to terms of accommodation, 
and the Swedish hero of eighteen, finished his 
first war in less than six weeks. 

Charles now advanced against the Russian 



167 



forces, and with only eight thousand men attacked 
and discomfited an army of eighty thousand. 
When he arrived before the Russian entrenched 
camp, defended by a hundred and fifty brass can- 
non and the bulk of the army, he without hesita- 
tion led on his chosen band, and, after a combat 
of three hours, carried the entrenchments at 
every point, with dreadful slaughter. The 
Swedes took many times their own number of 
prisoners, besides the whole of the enemy's artil- 
lery. Charles had two horses killed under him, 
and when he mounted the third, he said gaily: 
1 These people make me take exercise. 1 He 
dismissed the prisoners, as it was impossible for 
him to guard them ; he only detained the princi- 
pal officers, whom he treated with the utmost 
generosity. In general, Charles was admired for 
his personal courage, his discipline, moderation, 
and humanity. 

The following year he went to Livonia, de- 
feated the Poles and Saxons in several battles, 
and brought the former to the determination of 
deposing their king. The object which now oc- 
cupied all his thoughts was to take signal ven- 
geance on his enemy the Czar, Peter I., then at 
Grodno in Lithuania. Charles, in the depth of 
winter, marched against him, and drove the Rus- 
sians across the Dnieper. Peter I. becoming 
seriously alarmed for his empire, caused some 
proposals of peace to be made, to which Charles 



108 



only replied, i I will treat with the czar at Mos- 
cow. 5 

The king of Sweden had arrived, in October, 
1708, within a hundred leagues of Moscow, when 
impassable roads and want of provisions induced 
him suddenly to turn aside into the Ukraine. In 
the following spring he was attacked by Peter. 
Going, on one occasion, to reconnoitre, Charles 
received a musket-shot in the heel, which frac- 
tured the bone. No change in his countenance 
betrayed the accident to his attendants, and he 
continued six hours more on horseback, giving his 
orders with the greatest tranquillity. At last the 
pain became so excessive, that it was necessary 
to lift him from his horse, and carry him to his 
tent. Such was the aspect of his wound, that the 
surgeons were of opinion that the leg must be 
amputated. One of them, however, promised to 
save it by means of deep incisions. < Cut away 
boldly, then,' said the king, immediately holding 
out his leg. During the operation he himself 
kept the limb steady with both hands, looking on 
like an indifferent spectator. 

Meantime the czar was advancing, and Charles, 
without calling a council of war, ordered a gen- 
eral attack for the next day, and then went to 
sleep. He caused himself to be carried in a lit- 
ter at the head of his infantry. The two horses 
of his litter were soon killed, two others met the 
same fate. The king was then carried by his 



169 



life-guards, of whom twenty-one out of twenty- 
four were destroyed. The Swedes began to give 
way on all sides, their principal officers were 
killed or made prisoners, and their camp before 
Pultowa was at length forced. In this extremity 
Charles still refused to fly. He, however, was 
placed on horseback, notwithstanding the cruel 
pain of his wounds, and surrounded with about 
five hundred horse, conveyed safe through the 
Russian army. Having reached the baggage, he 
was put into a coach, and his flight continued 
towards the Dnieper. The coach broke down, 
and he had again to be mounted on horse-back. 
At length, after much hazard and suffering, he 
reached the river, across which his attendants 
ferried him in a small boat. The fatal issue of 
the battle of Pultowa lost Charles his troops, his 
generals, his ministers, and his treasury ; and the 
unfortunate king became a fugitive among the 
Turks, by whom he was honorably received, and 
conveyed to Bender. 

Liberal efforts were, in the course of time, 
made by the Grand Seignior, to send him home 
with a large escort and provision for all his 
wants. Charles, however, refused to go at all, 
and then the Sultan lost all patience with his 
stubborn and unreasonable guest, and signed an 
order to compel him to depart by force. Charles 
formed the extravagant resolution of resisting 
with three hundred Swedes the whole strength 
22 



170 



of the Ottoman empire, and actually began to 
fortify his small camp, in the face of a Turkish 
army. Against this strange resolve all the en- 
treaties of his friends, officers, chaplains, and 
ministers were unavailing. The camp was of 
course soon forced, the three hundred Swedes 
were made prisoners, and the king with his gen- 
erals rode off to his house, which he had commit- 
ted to the care of about forty servants. Here he 
was still as far as ever from any thoughts of yield- 
ing. Cannon were brought up without effect; 
at length fire was set to the roof, which spread 
to the rest of the building, and nothing seemed 
to remain for the king but to surrender, or perish 
in the flames. He had made up his mind to the 
latter, when one of his guards proposed^ taking 
possession of a neighboring house which had a 
stone roof. Charles causing the doors to be 
opened, rushed out amidst the Turks, with a 
pistol in each hand, and his sword at his wrist, 
his principal officers following his example. 
They were immediately surrounded, and the 
king, entangled by his spurs, was thrown to the 
ground and secured. After his furious exertions 
he now sunk into a state of perfect tranquillity. 
He was treated with respect and compassion, and 
honorably escorted, though g,s a prisoner, to a 
castle near Adrianople. 

The senate of Sweden, no longer expecting his 
return, requested his sister to undertake the re- 



m 



gency, to accommodate matters with the czar and 
king of Denmark, and thus put an end to the cruel 
wars which desolated the country. Charles being 
informed of the proceedings of the senate, indig- 
nantly sent word to them that, if they pretended 
to intermeddle in public affairs, he would depute 
one of his boots to govern them. He grew 
tired at length of inactivity, and seeing that he 
had nothing to expect from the Porte, he expres- 
sed his wishes to return to his owii dominions. 
Permission was readily obtained for his departure, 
and he set out, attended by a Turkish escort, to 
the frontiers of Transylvania. There he ac- 
quainted his suite that he should dispense with 
their further attendance, and directing them to 
meet him at Stralsund, he took post-horses, and, 
accompanied only by two officers, travelled dur- 
ing sixteen days and nights. 

On arriving in Sweden, he found his affairs in a 
desperate condition. He defended Stralsund 
with his usual resolution. It was bombarded, and 
one day a bomb fell on the house where the king 
was, and burst near his chamber, while he was 
occupied in dictating to a secretary, whose pen 
fell from his hand at the shock. « What is the 
matter ?' said the king. ' The bomb, sire ! the 
bomb ! 5 was all the answer the secretary could 
make. ' What has the bomb to do with our 
business ?' replied the king ; ' go on.' 

Charles was persuaded to quit Stralsund when 



172 



no longer tenable, and it was with great difficulty 
that he escaped on board a Swedish ship. He 
wintered at Carlscroon, refusing to revisit his 
capital. He afterwards endeavored to re-estab- 
lish James II. upon the throne of England ; he 
then invaded Norway, and was at last killed in 
visiting the trenches during the siege of Frede- 
rickshall, at the age of thirty-six years. 

Charles was a mere soldier ; he had very little 
knowledge of any kind. In religion he was a 
thorough fatalist. He was void of fear, and acted 
so exclusively from his natural dispositions, that 
his history is his true biography. He was impru- 
dent, haughty, and inflexible, and could not brook 
opposition. He found his kingdom rich, happy, 
and powerful, and he left it ruined, wretched, 
and so totally without defences, that it was 
obliged to purchase peace with the loss of its 
most beautiful provinces. No king, indeed, ever 
consulted the happiness of the people over whom 
it was his lot to reign less than Charles. His 
cerebral organization is perfectly in conformity 
with every trait in his character. 

Fig. %— Sully. 

This head is very high, whilst it is at the same 
time of considerable width. The organs of con- 
structiveness, secretiveness, and cautiousness are 
strongly marked; the whole sincipital region is 



173 



likewise large, and the forehead voluminous, par- 
ticularly the organs of individuality, configuration, 
size, locality, order, calculation, and of the reflec- 
tive faculties. Such a brain fits a man to attain 
excellence in various departments of the arts and 
sciences, Happy the country whose administra- 
tion is committed to such a head! There the 
general welfare will never be neglected, — and 
fortunate the king who selects men with such a 
brain as Sully's for his counsellors ! The glory 
of his reign will be lasting. 

Sully was born of an illustrious family, and 
educated in the reformed religion, to which he 
adhered during his whole life. At the age of 
eleven he was presented by his father at Ven- 
dome to the queen and her son Henry. He then 
went to Paris, and was there pursuing his studies 
when the horrible massacre of St. Bartholomew's 
Day took place. The principal of the college of 
Burgundy saved him from the fate to which all 
the Huguenots were destined, by keeping him 
concealed till it was announced that the execu- 
tions were at an end. Sully then relinquished 
classical studies, and devoted himself to the ser- 
vice of the king of Navarre. He took lessons in 
history and mathematics, and applied himself to 
all the exercises proper for one destined to the 
profession of arms. When Henry of Navarre put 
himself at the head of the Huguenot party, Sully 
entered into the infantry as a volunteer, and in 



174 



several skirmishes displayed rather more temerity 
than prudence. Henry, who thought him worthy 
of his esteem, said to him on this occasion, ' It is 
not there that 1 wish you to hazard your life. I 
prize your courage, but hope to find better occa^- 
sions for its employment.' Sully now left the ser- 
vice of the king of Navarre for a time, to accom- 
pany the duke of Anjou, who had been invited to 
accept the sovereignty of the Netherlands. Sully 
had in view the gaining possession of the property 
of his family in Flanders, and particularly the re- 
covery of the estates of his maternal grandfather, 
the viscount of Ghent, who had disinherited him 
on account of his religion. Finding, however, 
that he, as well as other protestants, was looked 
upon with a cold suspicious eye, he returned to 
the king of Navarre. Henry having occasion for 
a confidential resident at the court of France, in 
order to penetrate the designs of the League, cast 
his eyes on Sully as the person most worthy to be 
intrusted, and sent him thither. 

In the war with the League, Henry summoned 
Sully to give assistance. He joined without hesi- 
tation^ and was engaged in various sieges and 
battles, always acquitting himself with honor. In 
the battle of Zorg he received five wounds, and 
being carried on a litter to the king, Henry em- 
braced him tenderly, in the presence of the other 
officers, and bestowed the warmest praises on his 
fidelity and bravery; 



175 

Henry, though lawful king of France, on ac- 
count of the difference of his religious opinions 
from those of the community at large, found that 
it would be impossible for him to obtain peacea- 
ble possession of the throne without reconciling 
himself to the Catholic faith. One of his chief 
objections to^ this step was the fear lest he should 
be deserted by bis old and most faithful friends. 
Sully, however, consulting Henry's interest and 
the welfare of the nation, desired that the 
measure might be adopted, and he was then 
employed to negotiate with the Catholic chiefs 
on the grounds of Henry's abjuration of Protest- 
antism. 

The League still continued to oppose Henry, 
and Sully's talents were vigorously exercised iix 
his service. He was considered as one of the 
ablest commanders in the kingdom, for the attack 
and defence of fortified places. He also mad a 
himself especially useful by his skill and integrity 
in managing financial affairs. He was employed, 
too, in many important negotiations, of which one 
of the principal was for the king's second mar- 
riage with Mary de Medicis. Sully hastened this 
alliance as much as possible, dreading Henry's 
weakness towards his mistress Mademoiselle 
d'Entragues, to whom he had given a promise ot 
marriage. This promise he put into the hands of 
Sully, and that faithful friend, deeply affected 
with the disgrace the king must incur from such 



176 



a connexion, after pondering a while, tore the 
writing in pieces. ' Are you mad ?' cried Henry. 
4 Yes, sire,' said Sully, • I am mad, and I wish I 
were the only madman in France.' As soon after 
as he could gain a hearing, he laid before the 
king all the reasons to convince him of his ex- 
treme imprudence in the step he meant to take. 

The spirit of Sully's administration was that of 
order, regularity, and economy, joined with so- 
briety of manners. He wa3 the decided enemy 
of luxury of all kinds, and therefore did not en- 
courage the introduction of those arts and manu- 
factures which minister to refinement. Agricul- 
ture, in his opinion, was the basis of national 
prosperity, and he wished to see the great mass 
of the community employed in its operations. It 
was his desire that taxes should bear exclu- 
sively upon luxuries, and, if they were to be made 
to act as sumptuary laws, and thus bring men 
back to their ancient frugality, he thought it 
would be much better for the nation. 

Within ten years he paid the crown debts of 
two hundred millions, and accumulated a surplus 
of thirty millions, raising less money by taxation % 
all the while, than had been done before his 
administration. Prior to his ministry, the gover- 
nors of provinces and powerful nobles were in 
the habit of levying taxes for their private advan- 
tage, sometimes on their own authority, and fre- 
quently by virtue of edicts which they had 



177 



obtained through court interest. Sully suppressed 
these abuses, and had to encounter not only the 
intrigues and machinations of the persons imme- 
diately interested, but the facility of the monarch 
himself, always disposed to comply with the re- 
quests of his favorites and mistresses. On one 
occasion the king's mistress d'Entragues said 
haughtily to Sully : « To whom would you have 
the king grant favors, if not to his relations, cour- 
tiers, and mistresses ?' ' Madame,' replied he, 
6 you would be in the right, if his majesty took 
the money out of his own purse ; but is it reason- 
able that he should take it from those of the 
traders, the artisans, the laborers and peasants ? 
These people, who maintain him, and all of us, 
find one master sufficient, and have no need of so 
many courtiers, princes, and mistresses.' Sully, 
of whose integrity the king was fully convinced, 
relieved him greatly when assailed by improper 
requests ; he could always throw the refusal upon 
one who had no reluctance to undergo the 
odium, provided the good of the state were con- 
sulted. 

Sully was very active and very temperate. His 
table was simple and frugal ; and when re- 
proached with its plainness, he replied with 
Socrates, that if his guests were wise, they would 
be satisfied ; if not, he did not wish their com- 
pany. 

Though far from being a bigot, he was firm to 
23 



178 



his own religious creed ; interest had not induced 
him to change it, and it was not likely that any 
other motive would do so. The pope once wrote 
him a letter, beginning with an eulogy on his 
administration, and expressing a wish, at the 
conclusion, that he would enter into the right 
path. In his reply, Sully said, that, on his part, 
he would not cease to pray for his holiness's 
conversion. 

He continued at the head of affairs till the 
assassination of Henry ; but that fatal event put 
an end to his influence, for he was not a minister 
for a minority and a female regency. He was 
dismissed from court, and then lived chiefly in 
retirement. It is related, that being once sent 
for by the young king, Louis XIII. to give his 
advice on some important affair, his gravity and 
antiquated figure excited the mirth of several of 
the young courtiers. Sully, who perceived it, 
turning to the king, said : ' Sire, when your 
father, of glorious memory, did me the honor to 
call me to his presence, in order to consult on 
state affairs, he previously sent away the buf- 
foons.' 

The talents and the services of Sully to his 
country were of the highest order ; and so was 
his cerebral organization. A man constituted as 
he was, will adhere to -his duty in every situation, 
and wish well to the poor as to the rich ; at the 
head of governments the general welfare will be 



179 



especially cared for ; reason and justice will mark 
all his enactments ; the majority will always feel 
inclined to obey such a superior ; all will be per- 
mitted to enjoy their independence and personal 
dignity, and be secured in perfect equality before 
the law: opposition, therefore, will be only in- 
dividual ; the mass will be happy as members of 
one and the same family. 



180 



GENERAL REFLECTIONS. 

Examples under each of the foregoing chapters 
might be greatly multiplied ; many additional 
chapters too might be introduced. Those, how- 
ever, that are given will enable the reader to un- 
derstand nature, and the fixity of her proceedings, 
which are constant, and always exhibit the same 
effects under similar circumstances. The list 
of words which designate determinate characters 
is very extensive. It very seldom happens that 
single powers constitute the predominant charac- 
ter ; the mutual influence of several of the funda- 
mental faculties of the mind is almost always per- 
ceptible. Amativeness, whilst it is the basis of 
every amorous character, is modified in its mode 
of seeking satisfaction by its combination with 
different other powers. Amativeness, in union 
with strong moral and religious feelings, will dis- 
pose to early marriage ; the individual thus en- 
dowed may see one wife after another sink into 
the grave, but after the loss of each he will soon 
take another, and always comport himself accord- 
ing to the laws of propriety. But amativeness, 
without much of the former feelings, will be apt 
to lead to libertinism. 

Attachment is the primary element of affection,) 
but all are particularly attached to those in whose 



181 



society their other faculties are satisfied. The 
blackguard and drunkard avoid the company of 
moral characters, they prefer that of their like. 
The religious man sympathises with others pos- 
sessed of the same feelings ; the just man with 
others who are just ; the reasonable being with 
those endowed with reason. It is, therefore, 
proverbially said, that like draws to like. At- 
tachment, combined with amativeness, is fond of 
female society ; attachment with philoprogeni- 
tiveness is pleased with the presence of children. 
The disposition to seek society is as various as 
are the unions of attachment with the other 
powers of the mind ; I fondness for society at large 
is greatly increased by love of approbation and 
the other faculties, which find their gratification 
by display. 

Combativeness is the essence of all courage ; 
it, however, disposes to bravery or to conten- 
tion in different directions, according to its com- 
binations with other active faculties. It may 
lead to fighting in order to gratify amativeness, 
philoprogenitiveness, attachment, acquisitiveness, 
approbativeness, or self-esteem. Combined with 
the religious feelings, destructiveness, self-esteem, 
and firmness, it has made men speak of holy 
wars. 

In this way each affective faculty must be con- 
sidered in its combinations with various other 
feelings and intellectual powers, a point quite 



182 



indispensable, would we understand the nature, 
or arrive at the essence of each fundamental 
power of the mind. This is always single, and in 
its element the sam^, under every variety of mod- 
ified application. Secretiveness, for instance, is 
an elementary affective faculty of the mind ; but 
it appears under many and various modifications, 
such as in persons styled subtle, dissembling, sly, 
artful, cunning, intriguing, lying, or hypocritical.^ 
Wherever concealment appears, secretiveness is 
active ; the actor who would perform the part of 
a cunning hypocritical man, and the painter who 
would embody such a character upon his canvass, 
therefore, require this power ; without it their 
efforts, however successful in other directions, 
will never be else than abortions in this. 

Characters are commonly divided into good 
and bad : that is to say, superior activity of the 
powers proper to man constitutes the good, whilst 
predominating energy of the merely animal na- 
ture composes the bad character. To assist 
those who are entering on the study of phrenol- 
ogy, or who, already acquainted with the funda- 
mental powers, desire to learn the influence of 
their combinations, I shall give the elements of a 
number of characters, according to their common 
designations, in alphabetical order. Those which 
I shall draw up may be strengthened or weakened 
by the addition or absence of certain faculties ; 
and the reader must remember, that the combina- 



183 



tions of thirty-five powers are numerous beyond 
conception ; this, indeed, is a study which may 
be extended indefinitely ; my aim will be answered 
if I succeed in showing the young phrenologist 
how he must proceed in calculating the combina- 
tions of the faculties. 

Affable. 
Individuality, eventuality, language, benevo- 
lence, love of approbation, secretiveness, acquisi- 
tiveness, courage, and not too much cautiousness, 
self-esteem, and causality. 

Amiable. 
Benevolence, reverence, conscientiousness, love 
of approbation and attachment; it increases by 
individuality, eventuality, tune, imitation, amative- 
ness ; and by the absence of combativeness, de- 
structiveness, and self-esteem. 

Ambiguous. 
Secretiveness, acquisitiveness, cautiousness, 
combativeness, and approbativeness, with little 
conscientiousness, firmness, and self-esteem. 

Audacious. 
Combativeness, destructiveness, self-esteem, 
firmness, hope, ideality, increased by deficient 
cautiousness, conscientiousness, reverence, and 
benevolence. 

Austere. 
Firmness, conscientiousness, self-esteem, cau- 



184 



tiousness, comparison, causality, destructiveness, 
combativeness, ideality, with defective imitation, 
mirthfulness, and benevolence. 

Avaricious. 
Acquisitiveness, cautiousness, order, and secre- 
tiveness, with moderate benevolence and con- 
scientiousness. 

Booby. 
A small or very inactive brain, where benevo- 
lence and approbativeness are the most powerful 
organs. 

Brutal. 
Combativeness, destructiveness, self-esteem, 
firmness, acquisitiveness, without benevolence* 
reverence, conscientiousness, approbativeness, : 
and attachment. 

Caballist. 
Secretiveness, acquisitiveness, self-esteem, ap- 
probativeness, combativeness, with less cautious- 
ness, conscientiousness, reverence, and benevo- 
lence. 

Calumniator. 
Acquisitiveness, approbativeness, self-esteem, 
firmness, secretiveness, increased by eventuality, 
and language, without conscientiousness, benevo- 
lence, reverence, cautiousness, and reflection. 

Capricious. 
Self-esteem, firmness, approbativeness, ideality, 



185 



with deficient conscientiousness, benevolence, 
cautiousness, and reflective faculties, increased 
by acquisitiveness and combativeness. 

Comic. 
Mirthfulness and imitation ; it increases by 
tune, hope, eventuality, and by little cautiousness. 
This character may be combined with inferior 
and superior feelings. 

Communicative. 
Benevolence, reverence, hope, attachment, ap- 
probativeness, eventuality; language, with little 
secretiveness, acquisitiveness* self-esteem, and 
firmness. 

Conspirator. 
Self-esteem, firmness, combativeness, destruc- 
tiveness, secretiveness, hope, and less cautious- 
ness. The aim depends on the superior or infe- 
rior faculties ; conscientiousness, and benevo- 
lence, or acquisitiveness and self-esteem may 
guide. 

Corruptible. 
Acquisitiveness, secretiveness, with less cau- 
tiousness and self-esteem, and defective conscien- 
tiousness, reverence, and benevolence ; the basi- 
lar and lateral regions larger than the sincipital 
and frontal. 

Credulous. 
Marvellousness, hope, reverence, conscientious- 

24 



186 



ness, eventuality, with moderate cautiousness, 
secretiveness, approbativeness, and reflection ; it 
may increase by self-esteem, and acquisitiveness. 

Decent. 

Approbativeness, cautiousness, conscientious- 
ness, self-esteem, firmness, benevolence, and the 
basilar region moderate. 



hjpdent. 

Secretiveness and cautiousness, with less com- 
bativeness, self-esteem, and firmness, increased 
by reflection. 

Discreet. 

Great cautiousness, conscientiousness, benevo- 
lence, reverence, and order, with less self-esteem, 
and combativeness. 

Disputative. 

Firmness, self-esteem, combativeness, approba- 
tiveness, increased by acquisitiveness, secretive- 
ness, and less cautiousness and reverence. 

Dogmatist. 

Marvellousness, hope, reverence, cautiousness, 
conscientiousness, firmness, and self-esteem, in- 
creased by combativeness and destructiveness. 

Double. 
Secretiveness, acquisitiveness, cautiousness, ap- 



187 

probativeness, without conscientiousness, rever- 
ence, self-esteem, or firmness. 

Eloquent. 

Individuality, eventuality, perceptive faculties 
in general, language, comparison, causality, ideal- 
ity, imitation, firmness, secretiveness, and com- 
bativeness. 

Extravagant. 

Self-esteem, firmness, approbativeness, ideality, 
hope, without cautiousness, and the reflective 
faculties, increased by combativeness and destruc- 
tiveness. 

False. 

Secretiveness, acquisitiveness, approbativeness, 
without conscientiousness, reverence, and benev- 
olence, increased by combativeness and self- 
esteem. 

Flatterer. 

Approbativeness, secretiveness, acquisitiveness, 
increased by less conscientiousness, self-esteem, 
cautiousness, firmness, and causality. 

Gloomy. 

Cautiousness, firmness, self-esteem, conscien- 
tiousness, and the reflecting faculties, without 
combativeness, hope; mirthfulness, and imitation. 

Hypocrite. 
Secretiveness, acquisitiveness, cautiousness, ap- 



188 

probativeness, firmness, without conscientious- 
ness, reverence, and benevolence. 

Jacobin. 
Combativeness, destructiveness, secretiveness, 
acquisitiveness, self-esteem, firmness, little cau- 
tiousness, and defective conscientiousness, rever- 
ence, and benevolence. 

Impertinent. 

Combativeness, destructiveness, self-esteem, 
firmness, acquisitiveness, without cautiousness, 
approbativeness, conscientiousness, reverence, 
and benevolence. 

Indiscreet. 

Acquisitiveness, firmness, self-esteem, combat- 
iveness, secretiveness, without cautiousness, order, 
conscientiousness, and reflection. 

Industrious. 

Acquisitiveness, secretiveness, approbativeness, 
firmness, cautiousness, the perceptive faculties, 
order, and activity of the powers. The want of 
cautiousness and acquisitiveness, and very great 
conscientiousness, reverence, and benevolence, 
will prevent the accumulation of great riches. 

Modest. 

Cautiousness, the reflecting faculties, benevo- 
lence, reverence, conscientiousness, with little 
self-esteem and combativeness. 



189 

Noble. 

Self-esteem, firmness, conscientiousness, rever- 
ence, benevolence, the reflecting powers strong, 
whilst all animal faculties remain subordinate, 
particularly amativeness, combativeness, secret- 
iveness, and acquisitiveness. 

Partial. 

Acquisitiveness, attachment, secretiveness, ap- 
probativeness, self-esteem, combativeness, and 
destructiveness, with deficient benevolence, rever- 
ence, and conscientiousness. 

Rash. 

Combativeness, destructiveness, ideality, firm- 
ness, self-esteem, approbativeness, acquisitiveness, 
without cautiousness, conscientiousness, rever- 
ence, and benevolence. 

Superstitious. 
Marvellousness, reverence, hope, ideality, with 
less comparison and causality. 

Tyrant. 

Self-esteem, firmness, approbativeness, combat- 
iveness, destructiveness, secretiveness, acquisi- 
tiveness, without conscientiousness, reverence, 
and benevolence. 

Unequal. 
Self-esteem, firmness, approbativeness, ideality, 
combativeness, and destructiveness, increased by 



190 

the want of cautiousness, conscientiousness, rev- 
erence, firmness and benevolence. 

Unpolite. 

Firmness, self-esteem, combativeness, and de- 
structiveness, without approbativeness, secretive- 
ness, reverence, benevolence, and conscientious- 
ness. 

Vindictive. 

Combativeness, destructiveness, self-esteem, 
firmness, acquisitiveness, and approbativeness, in- 
creased by the want of benevolence, conscien- 
tiousness, and reverence. 

Wicked. 

Acquisitiveness, amativeness, combativeness, 
destructiveness, self-esteem, firmness, secretive- 
ness, without conscientiousness, reverence, benev- 
olence, ideality, and the religious feelings. 



191 



Summary View and Conclusion. 

I began by fixing the attention of my readers 
on the constitution or temperament of those they 
would examine according to phrenological princi- 
ples. I then showed the difference of configura- 
tion of the whole bodies of the two sexes, next of 
the faces of the sexes, and then of the faces of 
nations. After having indicated the phrenologi- 
cal mode of considering the cerebral organization, 
I stated that the heads of the sexes, of nations, 
and of characters are different. I then gave illus- 
trations of immoral and moral, of religious, inde- 
pendent, proud or haughty, ambitious and vain, 
humorous, timid, bold, and prudent individuals. 
I repeat that outlines only of determinate charac- 
ters can be traced, that each is strengthened or 
weakened by the addition or absence of special 
powers, and by the different degrees of activity of 
the faculties composing it, and that the number of 
characters, and their modifications in regard to 
quantity and quality, are infinite. 



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